


We're No Heroes

by hannahindie



Category: Supernatural, The Avengers
Genre: Aliens, Angst, Avengers - Freeform, Bruce Banner - Freeform, Bucky Barnes - Freeform, Dean Winchester - Freeform, Fluff, Gen, Happy, Pepper Potts - Freeform, Sam Winchester - Freeform, Supernatural - Freeform, The Avengers - Freeform, Thor Odinson - Freeform, avengers fanfic - Freeform, avengers fanfiction, clint barton - Freeform, natasha romanov - Freeform, phil coulson - Freeform, reader - Freeform, reader x bucky - Freeform, sam wilson - Freeform, sam x natasha, spn fanfic, steve rogers - Freeform, supernatural fanfiction - Freeform, tony stark - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-14 15:07:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16915182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahindie/pseuds/hannahindie
Summary: The Winchesters, along with their newly found sister, find themselves in New York hunting what they think is a small cell of demons. Once there, they meet up with Earth’s mightiest heroes, and find that there is more to their demon problem than they originally realized.





	1. Chapter 1

“Name?”

“Stevie Nicks.”

“Stevie Nicks?”

“Yep.”

“I don’t believe that to be true.”

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that, but it is. Blame my mom.”

“It’s just, I’ve got your file here.  And it says your real name is Y/FN Winchester, not Stevie Nicks. So would you like to try again?”

“ _Oh_ , you’ve got my file. What else does it say in there?”

“For starters, on this long list of things that are, in my opinion, _terrible_ , let’s start with your brothers being serial killers. Both of them. Doesn’t seem like you were opposed to that judging by the rest of this list, so I’m assuming you helped?”

“I wouldn’t always believe what you read, Agent…what was your name again? I didn’t care enough to pay attention earlier.”

“Coulson. Phil Coulson.”

“Well, Phil, you should probably get your facts straight. We aren’t serial killers, but we _are_ heroes. The only difference between us and your ragtag group of military issue action figures is that we don’t get paid for it. We even have our own little fortress of solitude.” She leans forward, her elbows on the table, and locks eyes with Coulson. “Maybe you should start with a different question.”

He clears his throat again and raises an eyebrow, “Okay.” He leans forward too, pushing a folder towards her as he goes. “Care to explain the incident that happened in New York two days ago?”

“That’s more like it, Phil Collins.”

“It’s Coulson-”

“Whatever. So it actually started about a week ago…” 

* * *

“Holy shit.”

“What?”

Dean looks up from his laptop and spins it around to give Sam a better look, then taps a finger against the screen.

“What, your computer has the ability to look up something other than Asian cartoon porn?” Sam grins and Dean glares at him.

“No, _smartass_ , look at the headline.”

Sam looks at the screen again, and his brow furrows. “‘ _Missing persons count continues to climb, cops baffled by the sudden disappearances._ ’ That’s weird, but not necessarily our thing.”

“Keep reading.”

“ _‘Steve was…different…before he disappeared,’ Steve McClaran’s wife Nancy said in an interview on Monday. ‘He was Steve, but there was something off; he would disappear for hours at a time, he didn’t sleep or eat. He even quit paying attention to our dog, Pepper. He loves that dog. And now he’s just…gone.’_

_And their story isn’t the only one that follows that same pattern. In the past two weeks, twenty people have disappeared from this small, New York suburb, and all of them exhibited strange behaviors before they vanished._ ” Sam pulls out the chair and plops down, scrolling through the rest of the article. “So it might be our kind of thing.”

“What’s our kind of thing?” Sam looks up as Y/N walks out of the bathroom.

“Multiple disappearances in a short span of time, odd behaviors leading up to them vanishing…the usual.”

Y/N drops into the seat next to Sam and skims over the article. “What do you think it is?”

Dean grabs his laptop and slams it shut, “I dunno, but I’m in the mood to gank some sons of bitches, so let’s go.” He pushes away from the table, grabs his bag, and disappears outside.

Sam stands up and looks at Y/N with a shrug, “I guess we’re going to New York.”

* * *

“I said _no_ , Y/N. What part of that is difficult to understand?”

Y/N crosses her arms and glares at Dean, while Sam awkwardly looks at his phone. “It’s not difficult, just stupid. Why can’t all three of us go? I’ve got my FBI outfit with me.”

“When have you _ever_ seen three FBI agents together at the same time? It looks weird. Also, you look twelve. It’s not going to work this time, not with all three of us. You can explore the city while we check on some stuff.”

“Ummm…every time you drag Cas along, actually. _Explore the city_? Mr. ‘You can’t ever leave my line of sight’ Winchester is suddenly okay with me just wandering New York City alone? I’m twenty-six years old, Dean. This isn’t my first rodeo and I don’t look twelve. At least, that guy last night didn’t think so-”

“ _Excuse_ me?! What guy? What the hell are you talking about?”

Sam steps between the two of them, unsure of who is going to snap first, but convinced it isn’t going to end well regardless. “That’s enough, both of you. Dean, Y/N is an adult that makes her own choices, there’s no need to judge her. You’ve had your fair share of…questionable encounters.” Y/N grins at Dean and he rolls his eyes, but the moment is short lived when Sam turns to Y/N, “And Dean’s right, three agents will be weird for this, we need to handle this one, and I need you to research some more. If this is as big as we think it is, we have to split up.” It’s Dean’s turn to grin at Y/N, and she flips him off as Sam turns back to him. “Now, if you’re both done, let’s go to the station and see if we can’t get some answers. Y/N, we’ll meet you back at the hotel.”

Dean spins his keys around his middle finger and winks at Y/N before turning to follow Sam, and she glares at their retreating backs until they disappear around the corner.

“Look twelve…I don’t look twelve,” she grumbles to herself as she straightens the shoulder strap to her messenger bag and begins walking in the opposite direction. She trudges along, only vaguely paying attention to her surroundings as she goes, and wonders how long it’s going to take her two brothers to realize she’s not incompetent. Though she hadn’t grown up with them, she _did_ grow up with a hunter mother, and is just as well versed as they are in all things revenge and supernatural related.  

Y/N looks up and realizes that she’s in a part of town she doesn’t recognize, and after a moment of contemplating, decides to cut through an alley as a shortcut. She slows down when she hears footsteps echoing behind her and her hand slips into her jacket pocket as she turns, her fingers wrapping around the smooth antler handle of Ruby’s knife that she’d stolen from Dean’s bag earlier that morning. No one is there, and after a long pause to look around, she turns to continue her current route. Instead of walking, though, she runs face first into someone who gives Sam a run for his money; the man is gigantic.

“Oh, _fuck me_ ,” she groans as she stumbles backwards from the impact. The man looks down at her and grins, his eyes flashing black before returning to bright emerald green.

“That would be nice, but not exactly why I’m here, sweetheart.”

Her fingers tighten around the knife handle as she glares up at him, “Alright, Jolly Green, listen. I don’t have time for this. So either you let me just kill you real quick so I can be on my way, or we can do this the hard way. Personally, I’m leaning towards the real quick plan, I’ve got shit to do.”

“I figured you might say that, baby Winchester, but unfortunately I can’t just let you kill me. I enjoy this meat suit, and I don’t think the big guy downstairs would like that, anyway.”

“Big guy downstairs…Lucifer? I don’t know if you and your little pals have heard, but he’s out of the game. He’s in the cage, and there’s no getting out of there. We made sure of that.”

He shrugs and takes a step closer, “There’s nothing certain about hell, demons get out all the time. What makes you think God’s favorite son can’t just climb out whenever he wants?”

She doesn’t answer, and instead takes a step back. Her back hits another wall of muscle and she groans when she feels a hand dig into her shoulder. She takes a deep breath, makes a mental note to avoid telling Sam and Dean about this encounter, and squares her shoulders. “I _think_ Lucifer is a dumb piece of shit, and that if he’d been able to get out of Hell, he would have done it already. I also think God might be a little disappointed in his prodigal son, so the whole ‘favoritism’ thing is probably out. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some demons to gank.”

She slams the heel of her boot into the toes of the demon holding her and the shock of it causes him to let go of her. She swings around, and in the same movement, swiftly knees him in the groin. She grabs him by the hair and brings her other hand out of her pocket, stabbing him in the throat. She shoves him away from her as his life flickers out, and turns to face the original demon, who’s scowling. “See, he gets it. What about you?”

Suddenly, Ruby’s knife is hot in her hand and she drops it, just as she’s thrown against the brick wall. “You just killed my brother, you bitch,” he growls, moving closer and closer.

Y/N struggles against her invisible bonds, “Oh, that…that’s too bad. I know…how important…family is to you.”

His large hand wraps around her throat, “Do you really think sarcasm is going to save you?”

“No…but this might.” She kicks as hard as she can, and although still restrained, manages to connect with his crotch. His grip on her falters and she struggles free, scrabbling across the wet pavement. She scoops the knife back up, but as she approaches him, he strikes out. His closed fist hits her in the knee and she tumbles to the ground. “Sonuvabitch!”

“I will kill you!” the demon snarls, and she makes another mental note; even if you’re a demon, getting kicked in the nards still hurts.

“Now, is that any way to treat a lady?” She looks up to see someone standing at the end of the alley, red and gold metal shining brightly. Even the demon seems confused as Y/N looks on in confused awe.

“This isn’t your business, robot.” The demon struggles to his feet and takes a few uneasy steps towards their new friend.

“I would normally agree with you, but you just so happen to be near my place of business, _and_ you’re beating up on a person much smaller than you. That’s at least two strikes, buddy.” He holds his hand up and Y/N sees a familiar glow in his palm.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” she groans as she stands, “Listen, I’ve got this. I was just finishing up here, and then I’ll be on my way. I don’t really need any help.”

The knight in shining red armor tilts his head and even with a mask, Y/N can feel the raised eyebrow he shoots her way. “I can’t say I believe you, kid.”

“ _God_ , are you my brother? Because you sound like him. I told you,” she says as she bends her knees and squints at the still distracted demon, “ _I got this_.” She jumps, throwing herself across the remaining distance and lands on the demon’s back, jamming the knife into his neck. The giant man collapses and she releases him, landing nimbly in front of the suited up stranger.

“Was stabbing them absolutely necessary?”

“Only because I didn’t want to die. How much you spend on that cosplay, Tin Man?” She wipes the blade off on her jeans and stows it in her pocket, “How about you take off that mask so I can see the man behind the curtain, huh?”

The suit whirs quietly, and the mask pops loose with a soft click. The man reaches up and removes it, and it’s Y/N’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “You look younger in person…no offense.”

“Thanks…I think.” He looks over Y/N’s shoulder, “I hate to break it to ya, but you just killed a man. Which means I’m going to have to bring you in, kid. I can’t let that stand, even if it is self defense.”

She rolls her eyes, “First of all, stop calling me kid. And second” she looks over her shoulder at the body, then back at her would be jailer, “that’s no man, not anymore. _That_ was a demon, and you should be thanking _me_ for saving your ass.”

“Demons aren’t real, kid-” he stops as she glares at him, and takes a deep breath. “There are no such things as demons. It’s all part of a mythology-”

“Oh, you mean like Thor? Or perhaps Loki? Hmm…I guess aliens would be out, too…”

“Alright, alright, I get your point.”

“Good. Because, Mr. Stark, that one demon is small time compared to the storm that’s coming. You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

“And you do?”

“Like I said, you have no idea.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean gets interrogated, and Coulson learns how Sam and Dean found themselves at Avengers Tower.

“So, Agent Springfield…Springfield, right?”

“Yep, that’s right.”

“Like Rick Springfield?”

“Yep. My friends call me Dick.”

“May I call you Dick?”

“Nope.”

“Okay, _Agent Springfield_ , what I’d like to know is why you’re in New York. I’ve spoken with the local authorities, and not one of them can tell me why you’d be called in. Not a clue.”

“Hmm. Well, the locals aren’t always included in federal investigations, so there’s your explanation. I don’t report to them.”

“I don’t think you report to _anyone_. I think you’re impersonating a federal agent, and at the same time, lying to one. You do realize that I’m part of the organization, right?”

“I don’t even remember your name, much less your job description. No offense.” 

“Let me refresh your memory, _Dean Winchester_. My name is Phil Coulson, and I’m the reason you aren’t in a jail cell in a high security lockup. You’ve done some pretty heinous things, so forgive me if I’m less than patient with you. Now tell me, what in the hell happened out there?”

“Why don’t ask you ask your merry band of men in tights? I seem to recall they had a hand in all of it.” He leans forward and Coulson sits back slightly, his eyes wide. “They certainly didn’t seem to be offended by someone like me. Maybe explain why the heroes of the universe would associate with such a _heinous_ individual such as myself? You call _me_ a serial killer? Looks like maybe _you_ should do your job better. I seem to recall a few casualties at the hands of,” Dean rolls his eyes as he air quotes, “‘Earth’s Mightest Heroes’. Now my bro…” he clears his throat and leans back in his chair, “my _partner_ , he’s the true crime expert so he would know better than me…and correct me if I’m wrong…but that sounds a hell of a lot more like a serial killer to me.  And you just let them run around in high tech suits and without superversion…” he whistles and puts his hands behind his head, “Doesn’t sound like a good idea to me, although I guess the government has a lot of those-”

“They aren’t serial killers, and if I were you, I’d be very careful how far you step over the line. I’m not asking _them_ , I’m asking _you_. What happened out there?”

“You’re not as much of a pushover as I thought you would be, Phil. What’s your last name again? Collins? I bet you can feel it in the air tonight, can’t you?”

Coulson glares at Dean, his knuckles white as he clenches them tightly. “It’s Coulson,” he manages to grind out, “and you’d do best to remember that. Now, tell me.”

“Awwe, I’m just having fun with you. I know your last name is Coulson, Debbie Downer. Anyway, it started about a day after we got to New York…”

* * *

“Well, that was a fucking bust, wasn’t it?” Dean grumbles as he takes his jacket off and tosses it in the backseat.

“Did you really expect it to go any differently? Since when do we ever actually get the answers we need?” Sam grabs Dean’s jacket off the seat, straightens it, then lays it gently on the bench seat with his own. “Maybe Y/N’s got something.”

Dean climbs into the car and shuts the door as Sam goes around to the passenger side, “Yea, maybe.” He starts the car, and after checking his mirrors, pulls out into the road and is quickly honked at by a taxi that seemingly appears out of nowhere. He sticks his arm out the window, flashes his middle finger, then continues into traffic. Sam rolls his eyes and sighs, and Dean looks over at him. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Why don’t you call Y/N, see what she’s found?”

Sam is already scrolling through his phone, and he glances at Dean as he puts his phone up to his ear, “You know, you could go easier on her. She’s an adult, and she grew up the same way we did. It’s different with her, she can take care of herself.” He frowns when she doesn’t answer and hangs up.

“What?”

“No answer. She’s probably researching. Let’s head back to the hotel and see what she’s up to.” He taps out a quick text and hits send, then puts the phone back into his pocket.

“I know she grew up like we did, but that doesn’t mean anything. We just found her, the last thing we need is another Adam situation.” They both fall silent at the thought of the youngest Winchester brother still trapped in the cage. “ _Anyway_ , I’m just saying, we gotta watch out for her. Her mom will kill us if something happens.”

“She’s not going to kill us.”

“Sam, she could be Ellen’s twin. She will absolutely kill us.”

“Dean, you’re being ridiculous.” They pull into the valet parking and Dean practically growls when he hands his keys over. “What is wrong with you?” Sam hisses under his breath as he grabs their jackets and his bag from the backseat.

“If she so much as gets a thumbprint on a _window_ …” he glares at the valet as he climbs into the driver’s seat, Adam’s apple bobbing nervously as he swallows thickly under Dean’s hateful gaze.

“She’ll be fine. What is with you today?”

“I just don’t see why we have to stay in this fancy ass hotel. We could have stayed outside the city for cheaper, and I could park my own damn car. Maybe gone to a bar where I don’t have to pay to just sit down.”

“You don’t have to…you know what, never mind. It’s only for a couple of days, anyway. We’re scoping it out, then we’ll meet up with Garth and see what we need to do.”

Sam smiles at the woman at the front desk, and she blushes furiously before ducking behind her computer. Dean rolls his eyes as Sam pushes the elevator button.

“What?”

“Nothing, Mr. Universe, nothing at all.” They walk into the elevator and Dean jams his thumb into the thirteenth button. “Thirteenth floor. I feel like that’s just asking for it.”

It is Sam’s turn to roll his eyes as they ride the rest of the way to their room in silence, other than the canned Muzak playing through the small speakers above them. The elevator finally slows to a stop and the doors slide open with a ding. “When we get to the room, please just…lay off her, huh? She’s not a kid, she’s a good hunter.”

They step out and begin walking down the hall. “Why don’t you quit telling me what to do? As much as you’re repeating it, it sounds like you’re trying to convince _yourself_ that she’s fine.” He puts a hand on Sam’s arm and stops him outside their door, “She’s our responsibility now. We promised Alice that if she came with us, we’d keep her safe. Just _being_ a Winchester is one strike, and I’m sure Y/N taking our last name is probably a second.”

Sam sighs, “Do you really think Alice would have let her come with us if she didn’t trust us? I mean, you’ve met her, right? She’s not exactly a pushover, and I’m also pretty sure she doesn’t care about the last name thing. Y/N did that before we even knew she existed. Nothing is going to happen to her, okay? Not everyone we care about dies.” Dean raises an eyebrow and Sam sighs again. “Alright, I see your point. She’ll be fine.” Sam unlocks the door and pushes it open, “Y/N, were you able to find anything-” He stops mid-sentence when he sees the that the room is empty and exactly the way they had left it that morning. “Y/N?”

Dean throws the bathroom door open, then walks into the connecting suite to find it also empty. He walks back into the living room, “You were saying?”

“I’m sure there’s a good explanation. Maybe she decided to work at the library instead of coming back here.” He pulls his phone from his pocket and frowns, “She’s not answered my text message.” He taps the screen, then quickly puts the phone to his ear. “Y/N, where are you? Call us back as soon as you can.” He hangs up, then looks at Dean, his brows knitted in concern.

“Okay, clearly no one came here…so somewhere between the police station and here, she went off course. It’s Y/N, so that’s not a surprise. And like you said, when she’s researching, she doesn’t pay attention to anything else. You’re probably right, she’s just at the library. Now, where’s that?”

“Do you realize how many libraries are in this city? She could be anywhere.”

Dean plops down on the couch and runs a hand over his face, “Yea, well, we have to start somewhere.”

“If you have a good idea, let’s hear it-” Sam is interrupted by his phone ringing and he quickly answers it. “Hello?”

_“Hey, it’s me. Get anything?”_

“Seriously? Where are you?!”

_“Oh, yea, sorry, I got caught up. You’re never gonna believe-”_ A muffled voice in the background cuts her off, there is a moment of whispering, and then she comes back on the line. _“Actually, can you meet me somewhere? It’s uh…it’s kind of hard to explain. But I think I’ve got some help on this little demon problem we’re having…well, not little. It’s not little at all.”_

Dean grabs the phone out of Sam’s hand, “Where the hell are you? You were supposed to come back to the hotel room, what happened?”

_“Like I said, it’s hard to explain. I need you guys to meet me at this address.”_ She rattles it off before Dean has a chance to answer and he grabs the notepad from the coffee table and hastily scribbles the information she gives him.

“But you’re okay, right? All in one piece?”

_“Yes, Dean, I’m fine. Thank you for being worried. Now, hurry your asses up and get over here.”_ The line goes dead and Dean hands the phone back to Sam.

“She gave me an address, let’s go.”

“Where is she?”

“I guess we’re going to find out.” 

* * *

Dean pulls up to the address Y/N gave him and slows to a stop, his eyes slowly traveling from the entrance to the top of the very tall building.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What?” Sam asks without looking up from his phone. Dean grabs his face and turns it to the window and he looks up, his jaw dropping at the sight in front of him. “Are you… are you sure this is the address she gave you?”

“Yea, I’m sure.”

They both climb slowly out of the car, their heads turned upward at the sight, and close their doors.

“Mr. Winchester?” Dean looks down and sees a valet standing in front of him, his hand held out and smiling. Dean frowns and the valet laughs, “I’ve been told you’re very protective of…Baby. I promise, sir, she’s in good hands. I wouldn’t have this job if I wasn’t good at it.”

“He’s right you know, I don’t hire riff raff. Happy parks my cars all the time, top notch parking. As a matter of fact, he just parked my car, did it perfectly. Actually, we’ve got a deal, ideal parking in thirty seconds or it’s free.”

Both Winchesters snap their heads in the direction of the voice, their eyes wide. The man belonging to it walks casually down the stairs, sunglasses obscuring the upper part of his face. Dean drops his keys in the outstretched hand and walks around the Impala to join Sam. The man stops in front of them and pulls his sunglasses off, and Sam’s face transforms from disbelief to pure awe.

“What…we…”

“You must be Sam.” He looks him up and down for a moment, “You sure you aren’t part of the super soldier experiment? I mean, you’re huge. What year were you born? And where? I’d like to know what they put in the water there, maybe use it for something here. Science, you know. And you,” his eyes travel to Dean, “you must be Dean. I mean honestly, Y/N said you guys were large, but I think our resident super humans are going to be a little jealous. I’m not, because I’m comfortable with what I was born with, but you know how superheroes can be. Well, genetically enhanced superheroes, anyway.” He holds his hand out, and both Sam and Dean shake it half-heartedly, still confused by what is happening.

“Y/N…is here?”

“Yea, funny story about that. Anyway,” he waves in the general direction of the building, “welcome to Avengers Tower. I’m your host, Tony Stark. Food and beverages will be provided. Now, I think we’ve got some demons to take care of. Shall we?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Sam's turn to be questioned, though he warns Coulson the story sounds made up. Coulson says he's seen and heard stranger, and Sam explains what the reader and Tony found while waiting on the boys.

“I’m just going to cut to the chase, Sam. I know you aren’t a federal agent, your brother has made that _painfully_ clear, and your sister…I’m not even sure what to think of her.”

“We like to think of her as headstrong.” 

Coulson gives Sam a tight lipped smile, “Yes, I believe that is an accurate descriptor.” He pulls out the chair he’s leaning on and sits down. “What I really would like to know, though, is how you managed to get an entire team of federal assets to go off the grid and help out the three of you. People who are tracked on the daily, just gone. Can you explain how you talked them into that?” 

Sam leans forward and intertwines his fingers on top of the table, “I think the better question is, why would an entire group of people be willing to do that when they have the entire U.S government behind them? Maybe it’s not about talking them into it, maybe it’s more about why they believe it was necessary.” 

“Why do you think they felt that way?”

“I don’t know, you’d have to ask them.” 

“See, that’s the thing. They aren’t talking either, and I can’t figure out why. It doesn’t seem to benefit any of us. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.” 

Sam laughs, “If you’ve talked to my brother and sister, then you know there are…things…in this world that have to be hunted. Those things don’t really give you insight. But if it makes you feel better, I can try. It just doesn’t sound very believable.” 

“Aliens have attacked Earth multiple times and I have the god of Thunder on speed dial. Try me.”

“Okay…”

* * *

Sam and Dean follow Tony through the lobby and to the elevator. Sam can feel  eyes on them, and he looks at Dean, who appears even more uncomfortable than he is. Once inside the elevator, Tony presses his thumb to a small scanner that is embedded in the wall. 

_Welcome back, Mr. Stark. Would you like me to give access to the two gentlemen that are accompanying you?_

Sam frowns as Tony looks first him, then Dean, up and down over his sunglasses. “Just the bare minimum for now, Jarvis.” When Dean narrows his eyes, Tony throws his hands up and gives a gleaming smile, “Listen, it’s better to be safe than sorry. You realize how many people would die for any kind of access to this building? This isn’t Chuck E. Cheese, you know.” 

_Would the taller one please step forward and place your thumb on the scanner?_

Dean pushes at Sam and he steps forward, grimacing as he carefully presses his thumb to the screen. 

_Mr. Stark, are you positive you would like to grant access? The scan shows records from the FBI, as well as several local law enforcement agencies, and the charges range from grave robbing to desecration of a corpse to murder and kidnapping. I am not sure this is the best idea._

Sam quickly pulls his thumb away and backs up, running into Dean, who in turn pushes him away again. 

“It’s okay, Jarvis, they’re with Y/N. There’s a good explanation for that….mostly…I think. Just the bare minimum, huh?” 

_As you wish. Samuel Winchester, you now have access to the elevator and the upstairs cafeteria, as well as the main loft._

“Food? Hell yea, count me in!” Dean steps forward and presses his thumb to the screen. There is a pause before the smooth British voice echoes through the elevator once more.

_Dean Winchester, you now have access to the elevator and the upstairs cafeteria, as well as the main loft._

“Thanks, Jarvis.” The elevator doors open with a quiet swish, and Tony gestures grandly towards the center of the room, “After you.” Sam and Dean step cautiously into the room and Tony swirls swiftly past them as he approaches the large set of chairs and couches in a recessed section of the floor. “Everyone, our guests have arrived!” 

Dean’s jaw drops as he realizes who is gathered in front of him. Y/N is sitting on the couch; Thor on one side, the Winter Soldier on the other. Captain America is sitting across from them, and Black Widow is balanced carefully on his arm rest. Bruce Banner is standing off to the side, his arms crossed as he watches the commotion cautiously, and Hawkeye is sprawled out on another couch, one leg stretched in front of him and his other foot resting on the floor as he threads an arrow through the spaces between his fingers. Falcon is sitting in the chair next to Captain America, and _all_ of them are staring at the Winchesters. 

“Hey, guys.” Dean quickly walks over to Y/N and kneels down in front of her, his hand automatically moving to the bruise that is wrapping around her throat, 

“What the hell happened? Are you okay? How did you get here?” Dean’s line of questioning is stopped abruptly when he feels a hand grasp his wrist and his gaze shifts from Y/N’s neck up to the large man sitting next to her.

“She has had a strange afternoon, I would suggest removing yourself and giving her some space.” 

Dean’s eyes narrow as he stands up, “Excuse me?” 

Thor stands as well, and upon realizing Dean is not as short as he thought, squares his shoulders and lifts his chin to appear taller. “The lady has been involved in fisticuffs and won, and has been working on science things with Stark and Banner. She has earned the right to rest.” 

“Okay, Lord of the Dance, I’m gonna need you to back the hell up. This is _my_ sister, and I can ask her whatever I feel like asking her. Like why she just disappeared, and how she ended up here…. _and what do you mean by fisticuffs?!_ ”

“I am the God of Thunder, not Lord of the Dance…although, I do enjoy a nice hambo with a beautiful woman.” He looks down at Y/N and winks and she raises an eyebrow.

“Listen here, Goldilocks, you’re not going to…to _hambo_ with my sister. As a matter of fact, I’ll tell you what you can hambo with-” 

“Guys!” Y/N’s sharp admonishment silences both men and she stands up with a grimace, “That’s enough! I am a grown ass woman who will hambo with whoever she likes.” She glares at Dean and Thor smirks. The moment is quickly over when Y/N sets her sights on him, “And I don’t have time to hambo. ….Can we please just stop talking about hambos?” 

“She’s right, there’s a reason why we’re here.” Sam steps forward and Natasha sits up a little straighter. Steve notices her sudden interest and  elbows her in the side. She looks down at him and shrugs, “What?” 

“Why _are_ we here, exactly?” Dean asks as he rolls his eyes at Natasha, who is still staring at Sam. 

“Well, Winchester Numero Uno, your sister here was getting into more than she could handle-”

Y/N holds a hand up, “Whoa, hold on, no, no I wasn’t. I was handling it just fine before you came along. From what I remember, you didn’t actually do anything, other than act as a distraction.”

“A distraction that saved your _life_ , which is all in a day’s work. You don’t have to thank me.” Y/N sits back down and nearly sits on Bucky, who looks at her with mild interest. 

“Oh, I won’t, don’t worry.” Bucky’s lip twitches and he tries to hide his amusement. Steve catches him and shakes his head, his own smile threatening to spread. 

“ _Anyway_ , little sister here dispatched the two men attacking her, and although I applaud the cajones that that took, I was going to take her to the police station. You know, due diligence and all that. Until she told me who…or what…they were.” Tony walks over to the bar and pours a drink as he talks, then takes a sip and leans back against it. Sam turns to face him and scoffs, 

“And you just believed her? Then brought her to one of the most secure places in New York?” 

Tony shrugs, “I’ve seen stranger. I don’t know if I need to remind you about the aliens that keep attacking our planet, but this isn’t my first rodeo. And not to speak for my fellow colleagues, but I’d rather err on the side of caution and make sure it’s taken care of. If it _is_ a lie…well, it’s a lot easier to take care of one liar than it is thousands of demons.”

“ _Thousands?_ What are you talking about?” Sam looks back at Y/N, who is chewing nervously on her lip. “Y/N, what’s he talking about?”

“That’s why we’re here. Once I told him what we do and what brought us to New York, he realized that there had been more occurrences than just missing people. That’s what Thor meant when he said we’d been doing science things. You think Ash could pull off some smart shit…” 

“What did you find?” Dean asks this time, and Y/N shifts her gaze to him. 

“Hell.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor encourages the reader to look at their destinies in a different light, and the gang finds out just how bad their demon problem is.

“Hell? What do you mean by Hell?” Dean asks as he looks between Y/N and Sam. “What does she mean?”

“It means, Sherlock, that rather than the handful of demons that you were expecting to find and dispatch, you’re looking for a constant stream of them. Thousands of them escaping into the world, and no way to stop them.” Dean looks at Tony, too concerned to acknowledge the nickname he just threw at him.

“How is this happening? Demons can’t just pop topside, they practically have to crawl their way out. I mean, once there’s an opening, maybe they’re able to just leave, sure, but not en masse. Not really their style, is it?”

Sam shakes his head, “No, it’s not. I mean, it seems to be getting easier for them for various reasons, but it’s always just a few at a time, unless…” he pauses and everyone stares at him silently. “ _Shit_ …” he whispers it, almost to himself, and Dean smacks him in the arm. 

“What? You gonna share with the rest of the class, or are you just gonna stand there?”

Sam ignores Dean and looks at Tony, “Can you show me how you figured this out? I need to see it, see where it’s coming from. A map of the city would be good, too.”

“Sure thing, Sasquatch.” He sits down his unfinished whiskey and claps his hands, “Shall we take a little field trip?” He strides quickly towards the elevator and the Avengers all stand to follow him. Y/N and Sam pass Dean, and, as he goes past the bar, he pauses, grabs Tony’s unfinished drink, and tips it back. Sam looks back when he hears the glass clink off the bar top and frowns.

“You didn't…”

Dean shrugs, “I feel like this situation calls for it. And that was twenty year old Pappy Van Winkle, you can’t let that go to waste.” They both hurry into the elevator, and Y/N rolls her eyes at her older brothers.

Thor smiles down at her, “This is exciting. Your family is here, there are demons to fight. Demons! Imagine. I’ve never thought they were real, but then again, you probably don’t believe in Jormungand, and I fight him all the time.”

She looks up at him, and finds it incredibly difficult to not smile back. His cheerfulness is contagious, and she finds herself curious. “Jormungand?”

“Ah, yes! He’s an enormous, slippery serpent whose body circles the entirety of Midgard. It’s fated that we will kill each other, but honestly, I just like to rile him up a bit.” He grins again and Y/N can practically feel Dean’s eye roll from where he’s standing in front of her.

“That sounds like a pretty shitty fate to me.”

Thor shrugs, “It is not pleasant, and one I hope to avoid. We all make our own destinies, and maybe it will eventually lead to me finding my end, wrestling with Jormungand in the great reckoning we call Ragnarok. Or I will change it. There is no use in fighting fate, you must simply do your best and the end is the end.”

“Huh,” Y/N looks at Thor, impressed. “That’s…that’s a really healthy way to look at it.”

Thor tilts his head, “How else would you look at it?”

Y/N laughs softly, “Not like that.”

The elevator slides to a quiet stop and the doors swoosh open. The group pours out, and Thor gestures for Y/N to go ahead of him.

“Welcome to my science lair where I do….sciencey things. Jarvis, can you pull up the information we looked up earlier, as well as a map of the city?”

_Would you like a road map or a physical map?_

Tony looks at Sam and raises his eyebrows.

“Umm…I might need both. Can we start with just the road map?”

_As you wish, Samuel._

“We’re gonna need one of those in the bunker,” Dean loudly whispers as he elbows Y/N in the side.

Steve looks over at them, his arms crossed, “You guys have a bunker?”

Dean smiles proudly, “Sure do. We’re legacies, Men of Letters. It’s a long story, but our grandfather was in it, joined up in 1958.”

“Men of Letters…” Steve quietly repeats to himself as he looks over at Bucky. Bucky says nothing, but looks moderately impressed as he looks Dean and Sam over.

“What?” Dean asks defensively.

Steve shrugs, “Nothing, it just sounds interesting. You’re the only two left?”

“Three.” Y/N’s voice pipes up, though she doesn’t turn to face them.

“I’m sorry?”

Y/N turns to face Steve, “We’re the only _three_ left. Women were allowed in in 1958, they’re allowed in now.”

“I - I didn’t mean…of course, women can join…” Y/N turns back around and Steve glares at Bucky who’s leaning against the wall and watching Steve struggle. “Some help here?”

Bucky shakes his head, “You haven’t needed help since becoming Captain America. I’m gonna let you ride this one out.” He watches Y/N as she says something to Thor and can’t help but smile, “She’s a fiery little pistol, huh?”

“She sure is. Why don’t you go try your ‘hey doll face’ line on her, I’m sure it’ll go over well.”

“First of all, I’m not an idiot. Second, it isn’t a ‘line’. It just happens to work.”

“Alright, I can hear you. That’s my little sister you guys are ogling. And aren’t you like…a hundred years old? Keep it to yourselves.” Dean gripes at them. Bucky throws his hands up as if in surrender and Steve sighs.

“Why do I feel like pre-serum Steve?”

Bucky pats him on the shoulder, “Because you just got your ass handed to you.” He nods towards Tony, “I think our attention is being requested.” Steve turns to see Tony staring at them and shaking his head.

“Alright, now that we have everyone’s attention, I’m going to turn it over to Sasquatch here. He can probably explain the demony bits better than I can.”

Sam frowns at the nickname, then looks around the group. “According to the information that Tony and Jarvis have pulled from public records, police reports, and news articles, the disappearances start after you leave the city and move into subdivisions, farm land. In a two week period, it’s moved inwards. There are five hundred missing people in this area in the past three days alone,” Sam circles an area on the map, which is much too small to have that many people missing, “and it’s not including those that have gone missing in the last two weeks. It also doesn’t count the people who have been possessed and not left their homes yet.”

“Not to sound stupid, but why in the hell wouldn’t they just leave when they had the chance?” Clint asks from the corner, “Why are they hanging around?”

“Sometimes they do just leave,” Dean steps forward, “See, that’s the thing. Demons do what they have to do, most of them aren’t stupid. They need a body, they snatch it. End of story. But for something this big…no, there’s a big guy in charge somewhere, telling them what to do.”

“And what are they telling them?” Steve asks, unsure if he wants to hear the answer.

“They’re telling them to wait. To observe. And when the time is right, strike. The problem is, why? Who’s doing it, and what is the end game?” Sam looks back at the map, at all the tiny red dots representing the missing, “With this amount of bodies, nothing good. We have never seen this amount of demons come through. The only time we’ve seen something of this caliber was years ago. Jarvis, can you lay a topographical map over this one, preferably the most recent you can pull?”

_Doing so now, Samuel._

“What are you looking for, Sammy?”

Sam remains quiet as Jarvis throws up the topographical map and, as Sam stares at it, horror clouds his face, “A Devil’s Gate.” Dean’s gaze moves from Sam to the map and his mouth drops open.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

Tony leans forward and stares at the map, “I don’t quite get what’s got your panties in such a twist, James Dean.”

Dean points to the area that he and Sam are staring at, “What does that look like to you?”

“It looks like a cave system, a massive one.”

“Yea, and do you find anything odd about that? Anything at all?”

“No, not really-”

“Look _closer_.”

Tony frowns and moves closer.

_Would you like me to magnify it, sir?_

“No, smart ass, I would not. I can see it just fine…” he trails off as the reality of what he’s looking at sinks in. “That’s not possible.”

“Oh, it’s possible, Mr. Wizard. It’s very possible, and it’s happening.”

“Tony, what is it?” Tony turns first to Steve, then to look at the rest of the Avengers.

“It’s in Central Park.” 

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers get a run down on Hell, and Dean meets his snarky match. The reader doesn't appreciate Dean telling her what to do, and the Avengers sit down for story time.

“You mean to tell me that someone has opened a…a hell hole?” Clint asks, his eyes glued to the map.

“A Devil’s Gate, yea,” Sam answers as he casts a sideways look to Dean.

“What are we talkin’ here? Are we in beautiful Sunnydale, fighting off the ancient evils pouring out of a Hellmouth or what?” Tony spouts off, and Steve leans in towards Y/N.

“What does that…I don’t get that reference…”

Y/N turns to him, eyebrow raised, “It’s from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Have you never seen it?” Steve shakes his head and Y/N smiles. “It’s good. Honestly not too far off from the truth. You should watch it…that is, if this doesn’t ruin your taste for stuff like that.” She turns back to her brothers, and Steve shifts back next to Bucky.

“I know for a fact Nat put that on your list, and you’ve watched every episode. That…well, that was sad. Very sad, Rogers.” Bucky mutters under his breath and though Steve remains quiet, Bucky chuckles at the crimson slowly creeping up his best friend’s neck.

Dean frowns in Bucky’s direction, but continues where Sam left off. “Devil’s Gates are a way for demons to exit Hell and come topside. Sammy used one once to get someone out of Hell, so, if you can get a reaper to break the rules for you, they’ll sneak in mortals, too. Not that _that_ is something you’d ever want to do.”

“Reapers?” Nat pipes up from her seat near Clint.

“I’m sorry, is no one going to call out that he just said his brother _went into hell and retrieved someone?_ ” Falcon, who has been silent up until now, looks around, disbelief written on his face.

“Let’s get past this bullshit, then we’ll talk about reapers and hell and everything else in more detail, huh? As long as you’ve got enough alcohol. ‘Cause you’re all gonna need it.” Dean looks back at Sam. “Any idea who opened it?”

Sam shakes his head, “I can guess, but you’re not going to like it.”

“When do I _ever_ like it?”

Sam sits on the edge of Tony’s desk, earning a bitch face that rivals his own. He carefully stands back up, giving Tony a sheepish smile, then looks back to Dean. “Our favorite neighborhood King of Hell.”

“There’s a king of Hell?” Bruce interjects, “Are we being serious right now? Next thing you’ll tell us is that Lucifer is real.”

Sam and Dean exchange a look and Y/N stifles a laugh.

“Listen, Banner, I know this is all new to you guys. I get that demons and kings of Hell, and the Morningstar himself is unknown territory, but it’s _our_ territory. I promise that we’ll explain it to you guys, but, for right now, I need you to be a little more open minded, considering you regularly turn into a giant ass green monster.”

“That’s…that’s fair enough.” Bruce sits back down and Y/N walks over to join her brothers.

“His name is Crowley. He’s constantly looking for more power, more souls. Even he doesn’t have enough power alone to create this massive of a Devil’s Gate.” She turns to look at the map and shakes her head, “Someone else is helping him.”

“What benefit would there be to helping Crowley? Other than having a demon army capable of wiping out the population? It’s not like Crowley gets the souls if the humans are still alive. They’re just trapped.” Dean crosses his arms and also stares at the map. “What could anyone get out of that?”

“Unless whoever is helping him intends to double cross him. Promise him one thing, give him nothing. We know a few people like that.” Bucky’s voice is quiet, but resonates with everyone.

Y/N turns slowly to face him, “Like who, exactly?”

Tony clears his throat, and takes a shaky breath, “I’m afraid Capsicle 2.0 is right. There are several that would do that…but, unfortunately, only one powerful enough to help your royal majesty. He’s a colossal asshole, too, so the whole ‘double cross’ thing wouldn’t be out of the question.” Tony surveys the group, looks at their wide eyes and expectant looks and takes a deep breath. “I’m afraid that after all this time, Loki’s business partner has decided to change tactics now that the Chitauri can’t help him.”

Thor narrows his eyes, “It is impossible.”

“I’m sorry, Fabio, but I don’t think it is.” Tony looks back to Sam, Dean, and Y/N. “Ever heard of Thanos?”

“Thanos? The Titan?” Sam’s eyes are wide as he stares at Tony, “I thought he’d been killed during the Battle of New York?”

“No, he was not there. He sent my brother, Loki, to try to attempt world domination.” Y/N looks at Thor with raised eyebrows and he shrugs, “He is adopted.”

“So this Titan…is just doing this for shits and giggles, is that it?” Dean asks.

Tony shakes his head, “Thanos doesn’t do anything just for shits and giggles. It’s a useful side effect, sure, but he’s calculating, cold. Everything he does is a means to an end. Whatever he’s doing with this Crowley, he won’t keep his promise. He’ll use him, and then destroy him.”

Dean laughs, “That wouldn’t be so bad, would it, Sammy?” He quickly sobers when Sam glares at him. “Anyway, why would Thanos want to team up with Crowley? And how do they even know each other? An alien and a demon?” He hangs his head, “Why is this our life?”

“Crowley will do anything to get what he wants. If Thanos has promised him souls, regardless of how they’ve discovered the other, he’s going to do it. He’s calculating, too, but power distracts him.”

Dean rolls his eyes at Sam, “Shiny things distract him. It’s not that hard. Wave a brand new, designer suit in his direction, and he has to change his underwear. The question is, what are we going to do? Dealing with Crowley is one thing, but Thanos?”

“I say we go find this Crowley and beat the information out of him. That tends to work on my enemies.” Thor stands up straighter, his chest puffed out.

Y/N laughs, “That’s not going to work, Thor. Crowley doesn’t fall for that kind of thing, you’d never be able to get your hands on him. Me, on the other hand, he has a soft spot for. Anything to irritate my brothers. I can get the information from him.”

“Absolutely not!” Dean steps down from the platform and heads over to the small bar that Tony has set up in his workspace. “You are not going to use your…your _feminine wiles_ to get what you want from a demon king. You _know_ what he is! He doesn’t have a soft spot for anyone.”

“Oh, come on, Dean. I can do it. He’s always liked me, even more than he likes you. I can do this! Get in, get out, nothing to it. I just need to cast the spell, see where he is.”

“I said no, Y/N.You aren’t going to talk to him.” Before Tony can stop him, Dean pours a shot glass, tips it back, and pours another one. “As a matter of fact, you aren’t staying _here_. You’re going to go home until we get this taken care of.”

“Go home?! I am not going to go home! The end of the world is practically nigh, and you just want me to leave?”

“I want you to be _safe_. I want you to be _alive_. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this kind of fight, not everyone makes it. I refuse to watch you die because you’re too damn hard headed to go somewhere safe.”

“I am a grown ass woman, Dean. I found _you_ , by myself, and it wasn’t exactly an easy road getting there. I have seen you become a monster to stop evil, I’ve seen Sam practically destroy himself in order to save the world, and you just think you’re going to bench me? It’s bullshit, Dean.”

“Y/N, go back to the bunker. That’s an order.” Sam opens his mouth to speak, but snaps it shut when Y/N glares at him.

She shifts her gaze to Dean and speaks, her voice low, “Okay, _John_. But I’ll tell you right now, if I leave, I’m not going to the bunker. I’m going to my actual home, not some trash heap you call the bat cave, _legacy_.” She storms off towards the elevator and the room falls silent as they all stare at her retreating back.

“Dean-” Sam starts, but Dean throws a hand up and holds a whiskey bottle up in the other.

“Who’s ready for a story?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and the reader talk, and she opens up to him more than she expects she would. The rest of the group is shocked at how the Winchesters grew up. Talk turns to using the reader as bait, and the reader comes up with a plan.

Y/N is standing in front of a large window, her arms crossed and shoulder leaning against the wall when she hears the elevator doors open behind her.

She rolls her eyes without turning around, “I don’t want to talk to you, Dean. You’re a raging asshole.”

“I can’t say I disagree with you there, but I just met the guy.” Y/N looks over her shoulder to see Bucky walking towards her and chuckles.

“Oh, sorry.” She looks back out the window and sighs, “He’s not _that_ much of an asshole. Only sometimes, and only when he’s trying to protect people.”

“I understand. Before Steve quit being Steve and became Captain America, I was constantly watching his scrawny ass. He wasn’t a huge fan of it either.” He stands next to her, leaning on the opposite wall in the alcove that they’re standing in, and joins her in staring out the window. “I’ve always loved New York. It’s nice to be back, even if isn’t as excited about having me back.”

“Well, that doesn’t seem all that fair.”

“It’s fair when all they see is the Winter Soldier destroying city property and killing people, doll.” She looks at him, eyebrows raised and he grimaces. “Sorry, force of habit. Curse of being a hundred years old; you keep saying shit like that.”

She snorts, and it’s Bucky’s turn to look at her with raised brows. “Well, you’re pulling off the millenial man bun pretty well, so at least you fit in there, old man.”

He laughs, a genuine laugh from deep in his gut, and Y/N can’t help but appreciate how handsome he is in the fading evening light. “I’m not even totally sure what that means,” he chuckles, then ruffles his pulled back hair. “I thought about cutting it. Something seems weird about it though, like…like it would be too much like old Buck. I’m not that guy anymore. Guess I’m not really the Winter Soldier anymore, either. Still trying to figure out exactly where I belong.”

“I certainly understand that feeling.”

“Oh yea?”

She nods, and suddenly she looks sad, tired. “I haven’t always been with my brothers. It took me a long time to find them, in this business a permanent address is a luxury most people don’t get. We have the same dad, but they lost their mom. I’ve always had mine.” She stops for a moment, lost in thought as she thinks about John and how different her upbringing had been from Sam and Dean’s. “Our dad…he raised them like soldiers. Dean’s always had to look after Sam, always felt like he had to save him. Sometimes I feel bad, like I’ve given him more of a burden. He has enough to worry about, you know?”

“I’m sure he doesn’t feel that way.”

“Oh, he’s never said anything. He never would, even if he did. It’s just…I grew up in the life, just like they did. I watched hunters come through our hotel doors, sit at the bar in the restaurant next door, exchange stories and patch each other up. I’ve seen them leave, and not come back. My mom raised me to take care of those people, make sure they were okay. She had every reason to look for revenge, every reason to be angry. She wanted to save people, but she did it with no malice in her heart, no burden. John would come and go, he loved her as best he could, and she would keep doing what she was doing when he inevitably left again. She taught me that revenge just led down a deeper and deeper hole. For a hunter’s kid, it wasn’t a bad life.” She clears her throat, clearly holding back tears that are threatening to spill, then shakes her head. “Sam and Dean didn’t get that. John didn’t have quite the same point of view as my mother. Their lives were the exact opposite, and, sometimes, I wonder if I’m just…rubbing that in their face by showing up.”

“Dean wouldn’t have been as upset about you staying if he didn’t love you. I’d imagine Sam feels the same way.”

“I’m not saying they don’t…they just try so hard to protect me, when I’ve seen just as much as they have. I’ve loved people and lost them. I run away from my problems, which are a bigger monster sometimes than the actual things we hunt. Sometimes I just don’t feel like I fit. It’s not their fault, they were alone for a very long time. I just kinda…showed up.”

“Then why don’t you go home? What’s keeping you here?”

She gives a wry laugh, the tear finally breaking free, and she hastily wipes it away, “Well, I don’t fit in much at home anymore, either. My mom…she’s sick.”

“Shouldn’t you be with her, then? If I could go back and be there for my mom…” Bucky trails off as he looks from Y/N back to the window.

“It’s…it’s not that easy. It’s her mind that’s sick. She’s losing it all; her personality, her sense of humor, everything. She made me promise before it got too bad that I wouldn’t watch it happen, that I wouldn’t let myself waste away with her. That I would keep helping the world, because it needs everything it can get. I left before her mind got too bad, when she could still tell Sam and Dean that it was okay that I went with them. But now…” she shakes her head.

“She doesn’t remember you?”

“On the good days, yea. Those are the days she talks to me on the phone, answers the emails my brothers send. They don’t know.” She looks at Bucky, almost with relief, “I’ve not talked about it to anyone.”

“Sometimes, you gotta.”

“Yea..sorry you had to be the one, I guess.” She sniffs, and Bucky turns to face her.

“Listen, I get why your brothers are worried. Hell, if I had someone like you to look after, I would worry, too. Don’t hold that against ‘em, huh? From the sound of it, none of you have very much family left, it would be a helluva shame to lose it.” He raises his hand, pausing just before his fingers graze her cheek, moving to swipe away another tear. Before he can give it a second thought and move, she leans into it and closes her eyes.

“Thank you.”

He scoffs quietly, “Why?”

“For listening. Not just assuming I’m some spoiled brat.” She opens her eyes and a smile plays at the corners of her mouth, “And for not hitting on me in the first five minutes you met me.”

He lets his hand drop and shrugs, “You gotta wait at _least_ thirty before it’s not desperate. Steve never could figure that out. And Thor…well, I don’t know much about that, but I’m assuming things go a little differently in Asgard than they do in New York.”

“Ha…you’re probably not wrong.” She looks back out the window, eyes trained on the sunset.

“Think we should head back?” Bucky shoves his hands in his pockets, and Y/N shakes her head gently.

“I think…I think I’m going to stay here a little longer.”

“Okay, well, I’ll leave you to it then-”

“Will you stay?” she interrupts him suddenly, and he stops mid step to look back at her. She looks over her shoulder at him, eyes still shining with unshed tears, “Please?”

“Sure thing, doll. Whatever you want.” He leans against the opposite wall again, and as she watches the sunset, he waits with her, a silent vigil while she mourns what she’s losing and tries to hold on to what she’s gained.

* * *

Glass clinks against glass as Tony pours more shots for everyone.

“You grew up like that?” Steve asks with a shake of his head, his fingers wrapping carefully around his shot glass.

Sam nods, “Yea. It’s not that much different than what you guys do, really. Probably sounds less glamorous.”

“But you were children! You…you were four, Dean. You guys never had a chance.” Steve is still in disbelief that the two men in front of him have been fighting things none of them even knew about and have been since they were children.  

“Children as warriors isn’t unheard of, Steve,” Natasha interjects quietly, her eyes trained on her hands as they fiddle with her drink.

Steve ducks his head, “Sorry. It’s just…how have we never heard of this stuff?”

“I think you guys are busy enough fighting aliens,” Sam chuckles. “It’s not an ideal childhood, and we certainly have given up a lot as adults, but someone has to, right? You guys understand that.”

Clint nods, “Yea, I get it. And I think I speak for all of us here when I say y’all are heroes. More so than us, even.”

Dean shoves away from the bar he’s leaning against, “We’re no heroes. We do what’s gotta be done. At the end of the day, we stop monsters and we move on. No one knows what we do, and that’s _why_ we do it. We gotta keep it that way.”

Tony sits down his glass, “I don’t know if you realize this, but that’s pretty much the definition of ‘hero’. It’s not like you can be like ‘Hello, I just saved the world, I’m a hero!’ If you have to say it…”

Dean gives Tony a sideways glance, “Oh, you mean like Earth’s Mightiest _Heroes_?”

“…well, when you put it that way.”

Sam shakes his head, “Doesn’t matter, heroes or not. Hell is literally coming. We need to figure out what to do.”

“What about this…this Crowley dude?” Falcon asks, leaning forward in his chair, elbows on his knees. “Could you somehow convince him to just…not work with Thanos?”

Dean scoffs, “Sure, we might have like a ten percent chance if we use our sister as bait.”

“The King of Hell has a thing for your sister?”

“Don’t act like you guys haven’t been eyeing her up and down since she walked in here. Hell, _I_ have been,” Natasha says as she rolls her eyes. “Stands to reason that the King of Hell would, too.” She pauses, then gives a small shake of her head, “Not a sentence I thought I would ever say.”

“Can we just…not talk about our sister like that?” Dean practically pleads, his face screwed up in disgust. “It’s just…it’s gross, man.”

“But that doesn’t answer the question. This Crowley guy, he has the hots for your little sister?”

Dean throws his hands in the air and turns to look at Tony, “ _Why_ is this important?”

“Because, if he indeed has a little crush on modern day Annie Oakley, we need to use that. How does he know her, anyway?”

Sam stretches his legs out and awkwardly rubs the back of his neck, “He’s the reason Y/N found us.”

“What?” Natasha leans against the arm of her chair and closer to Sam, who looks at her from the corner of his eye, clearing his throat.

“Um…well, we have the same dad, but she stayed with her mom. We didn’t even know she existed.”

“Dad had a habit of that,” Dean grumbles and Sam frowns.

“Yea…he did. But this time was a little different, Y/N grew up like we did. Well, mostly; her mom didn’t drag her all over the country seeking revenge. She’s seen some bad things, but her mom…she taught her it wasn’t about revenge, wasn’t about seeking out violence. It was about helping people. And it was enough for her, for awhile, but then our dad died. I think she’d figured out that she had siblings, and it became an obsession for her. She even changed her last name to Winchester in hopes that someone would connect her to us. She had a hell of a time finding us. We’re…kind of legends in that world, I guess you could say. Half of the hunters don’t even think we’re real.”

“That’s what happens when some dipshit writes books about you and the cover art looks like some rip off romance novel,” Dean practically snarls, and Natasha perks up.

“There are books? Color me intrigued.”

“They aren’t accurate!”

“Accurate or not, she needed help. To this day, I still don’t know how it happened, but she ran into Crowley. Honestly, I think _he_ found _her_ , and he directed her to us. Just another thing he thinks we owe him for. I mean, in this particular instance, I guess we do, but that’s how it always works with him. You don’t just get something from Crowley.”

“So, he doesn’t have it bad for your sister?”

“Quit saying it like that, Jesus! No, he just likes her. She doesn’t put up with shit, and she’s good at her job. Hunting, obviously, but her research skills put Sam to shame. And Sam is _good_.”

“Then I say we use her! A good woman is hard to come by, especially one that’s handy with weapons _and_ the written word. I would wager she would make an incredible Valkyrie.” Thor smiles, pleased with his input, and Dean shakes his head.

“No. Absolutely not. I’m not letting her put herself in that position. It’s too dangerous.”

“Excuse me if I’m speaking out of turn, but is it our decision to make?” Steve asks, looking around the group. “Most of us never got a choice, and now we’re trying to take it away from her? I say we tell her the plan, and let her decide.”

“I’m in.” The group turns to see Y/N and Bucky returning from the elevator, the back of Bucky’s hand barely grazing the back of hers. She looks to him and he nods, then she shifts her gaze back to her brothers. “If I can talk to Crowley, maybe we can get it through his thick skull that this is a terrible plan. As much I don’t like Crowley, he helped me find you, and he can be useful. Thanos will kill him, no question, and then kill the rest of us. I can’t let the rest of my family be taken from me, too. I’ll do it.”

Sam looks to Dean, who nods. “Okay, then. Looks like we’ve got a job to do.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson questions the reader, and when she doesn't want to cooperate, uses Buck as leverage. Sam and Tony come up with a clever plan to trap Crowley, and the reader and Bucky go on a supply run that doesn't go as planned.

“You okay there, G-man?”

Coulson looks up from staring at his crossed arms and contemplates Y/N for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. “I’m not entirely sure _okay_ is the term you’re looking for.” He leans forward and rests his chin against his hand. “You’re telling me that there is an actual King of Hell, and you just decided that working with him was your best course of action?” He looks genuinely confused, like he wants to believe her, but, despite what he’s already seen, can’t quite wrap his brain around the concept of Heaven, Hell, and everything in between.

“I never said I thought it was the _best_ course of action. Of course it wasn’t, we’re talking about Crowley.”

“And Crowley is the King of Hell.” He narrows his eyes in thought, his lips a tight line as he ponders the implications of that information. “What about Lucifer? I was of the assumption that _he_ would be the King of Hell, considering he’s the actual devil. Or at least, what modern day Christianity teaches us, anyway. Why is Crowley the head…whatever he is?”

She rolls her eyes and puts her hands behind her head as she leans back in her chair, her feet propped on the table in front of her. Coulson had given up hours ago trying to get her to stop, and is now focused more on her face. “Lucifer is a separate problem. He was bad, Daddy punished him, and now he’s locked in a cage. You think Crowley is bad…” she whistles, “Trust me, dealing with Crowley is a cakewalk compared to that.”

“Why is he so interested in you, anyway? Seems like he’s dealt with your brothers more, why do you matter in his grand scheme?” 

She laughs, “ _No one_ matters in his grand scheme, except for himself. I’m the…what would you call it…pawn, I guess is the word you’re looking for, in this particular situation. He brought me to Sam and Dean, now they owe him. He’s enamoured with me, sure, but I just think it’s because I look more like Dean and he _likes_ Dean.” She winks and Coulson clears his throat, breaking eye contact with her.

“Alright, well, can you tell me more about how James Barnes played a part in all this? Considering he just managed to get out of the spotlight, I find it hard to believe he thought it beneficial to him to get involved in this mess, but I’m all ears.”

“Bucky finally thinks for himself, no thanks to you guys. I don’t speak for him.”

“So the information I received regarding his sudden interest in you-”

“That’s not any of your business and has no part in all this.”

Coulson looks down at the open manila folder propped between the table in front of him and his thighs for a moment, shuts it, then picks it up and slides it across the table. Y/N stares at it, unblinking, then looks back up at Coulson.

“What is this?”

“Why don’t you take a look?” She sighs, then reaches out and lifts the corner of the folder with her pointer finger. She holds it partially open, eyes locked on the image, her face unreadable. She lets it drop shut, then sits back in her chair.

“I don’t see why that matters. You got a picture, big deal. Doesn’t matter.”

“I’m afraid it does. Because, despite the fact that I _know_ all of them are involved, this is the only picture we’ve got that shows any of them. I’m on your side, Y/N, on _their_ side, but I can’t speak for them if I don’t know what happened. Right now, this isn’t a sanctioned Avengers mission. This is Bucky going rogue. And I think we all know how the last time went.” Her eyes snap up to meet his, but she remains silent. “Y/N, please, I’m _begging_ you. Tell me what happened after you decided to meet with Crowley.”

Her gaze drops back down to the folder, and she takes a deep breath.

“Fine. So Crowley isn’t the easiest demon to find, and he wasn’t answering his phone, so we had to go old school…”

* * *

“What is all this?” Bucky picks up the hastily written list and looks it over, his brow raised.

“Some of it is normal, everyday stuff. Some of it is herbs that aren’t as common, but not too weird. And then you’ve got the stuff we don’t really need to talk about. Summoning the King of Hell is less than pleasant, for more than one reason.” She grabs her bag and slings it over her shoulder, “Guess it’s time for a milk run.”

“Can I, uh, can I come with you?”

“You want to come buy spell ingredients with me?”

He shrugs, his hands in his pockets, “I don’t have to, just interested. Little different than what I’m used to. Although after fighting Red Skull, then being cryogenically frozen, nothing is that surprising anymore.”

“Fair.” She turns back to where Sam and Tony are speaking in hushed tones, “Hey nerds, we’re going on a supply run. Need anything else?”

They each mutter mumbled _no’s_ and Bucky shakes his head, “Are we sure it’s a good idea to leave those two alone?”

She shrugs, “No worse than leaving those two alone.” She nods towards where Dean and Thor are swapping stories, Dean’s eyes on Thor’s hammer sitting on the table next to him.

“Yea…”

“Dean, we’re going. Need anything?”

“Pie and beer! Do _not_ forget the pie.”

“I like this man! It seems he has his priorities straight. Bring back plenty of ale!” Thor practically roars, and Dean looks pleased.

“You’re not that bad after all.” He looks back to Y/N, “Don’t. Forget.”

“Okay, okay, pie and beer. Let’s go, Buck.” They disappear around the corner, and Sam glances over his shoulder towards Dean.

“What’s that all about?”

“What?”

“Her and Bucky. He went with her.”

“Better than her going alone. I mean, what could happen when she’s being escorted around by a dude with a metal arm?”

“Not how I expected you to react, but okay.”

Dean throws his hands out in exasperation, “What do you want me to do? You did see what happened when I told her what to do, right? I’m not doing it again. No, you can do that if you want, but I’m staying out of it.”

“Barnes is a good man, she is in safe hands. Though I would not have minded escorting her myself…” Thor trails off and Dean glares.

“Listen, I said you weren’t _that_ bad, but that doesn’t mean I’m good with you having X-rated thoughts about my sister.”

“Alpha males, am I right?” Tony elbows Sam, then spins around and starts typing into the keyboard behind him.

“Are you not one of them?” Sam asks with a poorly hidden smile, and Tony looks at him over his glasses.

“I am in a class of my own. An alpha alpha male. I defy any classification, really.”

“Don’t let him fool you, he’s just like them.” Tony turns to face the new voice, and he spreads his arms out as she approaches him.

“Pepper, honey, what are you doing down here?”

“Happy told me that we had company, I wanted to see just how much trouble we’re in this time.” She holds her hand out to Sam, “Pepper Potts.”

He shakes her hand, his totally engulfing hers, “Sam Winchester, and that” he gestures towards Dean, “is my brother Dean. My sister, Y/N, is currently out on a supply run, but she should be back soon.”

Pepper nods, then looks over her shoulder at Tony who makes it a point not to make eye contact with her, “What kind of supplies?”

“Well, that’s kind of a long story-”

“Sweetheart, why don’t you go upstairs and see if we can’t get some food catered for our impromptu party guests. What about that new Japanese place, hmm? I’m craving some of their sushi.”

“Tony Stark, what is going on?” She crosses her arms, her eyes narrowed, and Tony smiles nervously.

“It’s nothing, Pepper, just something we need to take care of. Like Sam said, long story. But we’re getting it figured out, so you don’t need to worry about that. You’ve got enough to deal with. So…Japanese place? Sushi? Please?” He gives her a peck on the cheek, and she rolls her eyes, though there’s a hint of a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.

“You are such a liar.” She looks back to Sam, “It’s nice to meet the both of you. Maybe you’ll tell me that long story later.” She gently grasps Tony’s chin and makes him look at her, “Don’t do anything too stupid, do you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She looks at him for a moment, then sighs in resignation, “I’ll order the food.” She walks upstairs and Dean whistles.

“So _that’s_ who’s actually in charge? Now it all makes so much sense.”

Tony shoots him a glare but says nothing. Instead, he walks to the computer and taps the keys a little too hard, then flips the screen around. “Okay, so here’s the deal. We’ve got to trap your friend the King, right?”

Dean nods, “Yea, but our usual thing is a demon trap spray painted on something. Crowley is too smart for that, usually. We’ve had our share of luck, but I doubt it would work this time.”

“Yea, well, you’re not going to spray paint _anything_. Do you know how expensive all this stuff is? The ceiling alone is probably worth more than your car.” Sam grimaces and waits for Dean’s inevitable response, but for once, he stays quiet. “Anyway, your normal trap isn’t going to work.” He taps the space bar and a digital version of the devil’s trap pops up on the thin, transparent screen.

“Oh look, a useless computer file. I thought you were supposed to be some sort of genius.” Dean leans back and crosses his arms.

“Who says the devil’s trap has to be there the whole time?” Sam hurriedly interjects.

Dean tilts his head, “What do you mean?”

“What if we can summon him, and then trap him _wherever_ we want? He can even look around, see that we’re not trying to trap him. It lulls him into a false sense of security, and it gets us what we want.”  

“How the hell are we going to manage that?”

“You’re going to manage that because I’m some sort of genius. Jarvis, show ‘em.”

_Yes, sir._

Suddenly, the small image on the screen is on the ceiling, then moves along the ceiling in various patterns.

“A projection?”

“Not a projection. The ceiling is made of individual modules, so that the image is imbedded in it. Unlike a projection, which can be broken if something crosses the beam, this is organic, a part of the actual structure.”

“So we get him here, then activate that and he can’t go anywhere? Why’s it moving then?”

“That’s the best part, Dean, we can let him move around like he’s not trapped. All we have to do is give the command, and it’ll limit his movement. He doesn’t even have to know the trap is there until we want him to.”

“What…the…hell…” Dean whispers, his eyes on the image in the ceiling.

“Like you said, genius. No need to apologize, your absolute shock is enough.”

“Does that mean it can’t be broken? He’ll just be …trapped there? Like, forever, if we wanted?”

Tony sits on the edge of his desk and nods, “Theoretically speaking. _Nothing_ is unbreakable, but this is damn near close. It would take significant damage to render it useless. Jarvis, switch it off, please.”

The image disappears, and Dean shakes his head. “This is insane. We need that everywhere we go.”

“Yea, well, I don’t think this is quite portable enough,” Sam says as he rolls his eyes.

“I mean, I could think of something.” Tony grins and Dean’s eyes grow big. “Anyway, what do we do now?”

Sam joins Dean and Thor at the table, “Now, we wait.”

* * *

Y/N stops in front a dingy door surrounded by dumpsters and looks at the paper in her hand.

“This doesn’t look questionable at all.” Bucky looks around, frowning as a rat runs along the wall before disappearing behind a cardboard box, its edges wet with mysterious stains.

Y/N laughs, “You have no idea.” She slips the paper back into her pocket and knocks, an uneven rhythm, pauses, then knocks two more times. The barred window slides open and two barely visible eyes peep through. “I’ve got a message from the Roadhouse.” The window slides shut with a snap, and Y/N steps back.

“The Roadhouse?”

“It was a bar, but hunters were the usual patrons. It burned down years ago.”

The door swings open, and a tiny, old woman pokes her head around the corner. “Whaddya want?”

“I need to do some summoning, and I was told that Nadine was the one to help me out. Name’s Y/N Winchester.”

The door opens wider, and the lady steps aside to let them past, “Well, you found Nadine, and the name Winchester sure rings a bell, though I don’t recall ol’ John having a girl.”

“You’re thinking of Sam and Dean. John wasn’t always as careful with other aspects of his life as he was hunting.”

“I heard he got a little careless with that, too.” Nadine shuts the door and walks past them and towards the counter.

“You aren’t wrong, Nadine.” She fishes around in her pocket, then hands her the crumpled list. “I know what most of this is, but some of it I don’t, and we’re in a bit of a hurry. Think you could help me find it?”

Nadine looks over the list, her brow furrowed, and looks back up at Y/N, “This is a strong summoning spell you’re tryin’ to work. What’s a little girl like you trying to find?”

“More like what are my brothers trying to find. I’m just the errand girl.”

Nadine nods and walks towards the back of the store, “I’ve learned to not question anyone involved with the Winchesters. I’ll be right back, sweetie.” She slips past a curtain, and Y/N turns to see Bucky fiddling with a cat skull.

“What are you doing?”

“Is this real?”

“Yes, probably, now put it down!”

He sets it gently back where he found it, “Is it that sacred or whatever?”

“No, it’s just gross.” She walks over to a shelf filled with old, leather bound books, and plucks one off the top. “Ooo, I’ve been looking for this.” She flips through the pages, and wrinkles her nose at the puff of dust that comes off of it. “I messed up Sam’s copy when I was doing research one day. Let’s just say Diet Coke is not kind to two hundred year old parchment.” She tucks it under her arm, and Bucky follows her as she wanders the store.

“So this is…normal…for you?”

She shrugs, “Nah, not really. I mean, of course we have people we go to for help with lore, for bits and bobs and whatever else we need for spells, but there’s not usually a whole store. It’s New York City, though, so I’ll take advantage of it when I have it.” She stops at a picture hanging on the wall and gives a quiet laugh, “I’ll be damned.” She gently pulls it down and wipes some dust off the glass.

“Who is it?”

“It’s my Mom and Dad. I had no idea this picture even existed, I wonder how Nadine got it.”

“Your parents came in here more than once.” Y/N turns to see Nadine push her way through the curtain, arms full of spell ingredients, “I really liked them. That whole group, honestly. John wasn’t around as much, but they were always very kind.”  She piles everything Y/N asked for on the counter, then puts her hand on Y/N’s arm. “I’m sorry about your mother, sweetie. I know it’s got to be hard to see someone disappear right in front of you.” She goes around the end of the counter and starts punching numbers into the register. Bucky frowns and tilts his head, his eyes trained on Y/N.

“How did you know that?”

“Not all psychics are fake, love, I would have thought you knew that.” The cash register dings, and the drawer slides open. She shuts it, then begins bagging up everything.

“How much is all that?”

“Nothing, it’s on the house. I don’t know what you kids are up to, but if your brothers are anything like your father, it’s probably going to save the city, whatever it is. You Winchesters have a habit of being in the middle of something big. Don’t think I haven’t heard.” She takes the picture from Y/N and takes it out of the frame, carefully rolling it and slipping it down into a cardboard tube. “You can have this, it’s not doing any good here.” She hands the bag to Y/N, who carefully slides it into her backpack before slipping it onto her shoulders.

“Thanks, Nadine.”

“Not a problem-” she cuts off and her eyes close, rolling behind her lowered lids, as Y/N grabs her arm.

“Nadine, are you okay? Nadine?”

She shakes her head and her eyes pop open, “You need to go.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Demons. Demons are coming, you have to leave.”

“We can’t leave you here!”

Nadine pushes Y/N towards the back, and Bucky follows, looking over his shoulder as they go. “I’ll be fine, I always am. You two are the ones they want. You gotta go. Take the stairs, go to the roof. There’s a bridge between the buildings, you can use that to cross over and go down the other side. Now hurry.”

“Be careful, Nadine.” Bucky grabs Y/N’s arm and starts pulling her up the back stairs.

“You too, sweetie. Don’t be a stranger.” Y/N’s chest tightens when the door shuts, and she loses sight of the sweet old woman.

“We can’t just leave her, Bucky!” She struggles to get out of his grasp, but he pulls her closer to him, his eyes locking with hers.

“I don’t want to, but you heard her. She’ll be okay, she hasn’t lived this long without knowing how to get out of a sticky situation. But right now, we need to get out of here, and get back to Sam and Dean. We need to get back to the Tower. They can’t do anything if they don’t have these ingredients, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Now, let’s go.” Y/N lets Bucky pull her up the stairs and towards the roof.

“Go through this door!” Bucky hisses, as he tears open the door below the roof entrance.

“She said to go to the roof. What are you doing?”

“We aren’t going to make the roof, they’re already up there. Now go!” He shoves her through, then quietly slips the door shut. He grabs a pipe sticking out of the wall and pulls it free, then jams it through the door handles and twists it as tight as he can. “Go, go, go! We don’t have much time.” They race quietly through the building, staying below the cubicle walls as well as they can as they navigate the maze like office.

Suddenly, Bucky shoves her into a cubicle and she slides to a stop on her knees, breathing heavily as she glares at him, “What the hell was that?” she hisses.

He puts a finger to his mouth and shakes his head. She listens, and there it is; the unmistakable sound of feet on tile as whoever is coming after them walks down the hallway towards them.

“What are we going to do?”

Bucky leans around the cubicle, his long hair falling from the elastic that was holding it, and obscuring his face. His head drops, then he turns back to look at her. “I know we just met, and this sounds crazy, but how much do you trust me?”

Y/N shrugs, “I don’t know, Carly Rae Jepsen, what are you planning?”

Bucky frowns, his brows furrowed, “Who the hell is that?”

“No one, never mind, what’s your plan?”

“How good are you with heights?”

“Bucky…”

“ _How good?_ ”

“I don’t know! I’ve never…I don’t….ugh! If it’s going to save my life, then pretty good I guess. You know what, don’t even tell me what you’re getting ready to do. Just do it.”

“That’s the spirit. I need you to get on my back.”

“ _What_? You _are_ crazy.”

“Do you want whoever that is to find us, or do you want to get out of here and have a fighting chance of getting to Sam and Dean?”

She groans, “Okay, _fine_. But you owe me dinner or something if we make it out of this alive.”

“Sounds like a plan. Now get on my back.” He kneels in front of her, and she hooks her knees around his hips, her arms wrapped around his neck. He looks over his shoulder at her, and she could swear she sees a little glint. “Hang on, doll.”

He stands, then takes off running as hard as he can towards the bank of glass windows in front of them. The moments after that are a blur to Y/N. Bucky twists his body so that his shoulder hits the glass first, and shards of glass rain down on them as they fly through the window. The shock of it is so great that Y/N can’t even scream. Bucky lands with a screeching slide as he hits the building next door, the angled roof slowing their descent. He jumps off the edge of that one, grabs the railing of the building next to it, and pulls them onto the balcony. “Don’t let go.”

Y/N can’t answer as he takes off again, running faster than anyone she’s ever seen. He runs into the building, taking the stairs three at a time until he hits the lobby. People jump out of their way and stare as he slams through the double doors and out onto the sidewalk.

Y/N slides off his back and hits the ground, her hands on her knees as she tries to get her breath back. “That…what…what the _hell_?!”

“Sorry, it was the fastest way out.”

She straightens, trying to force the laughter bubbling just under the surface down. “Fastest? It was the…well, you aren’t wrong. Oh my God.” She looks back over to the building and sees at least four men wandering the lobby, clearly looking for them. “We have to go.”

“I think it’s a little late for that.” He nods over her shoulder and she turns to see two more behind her, pushing their way through the crowd.

“Aww, shit. What do we do?”

“You aren’t going to do anything.” Bucky puts himself between her and the two men, “You need to run.”

“But-”

“I said run, Y/N. I’ll be right behind you.” He pushes her in the opposite direction, and she does as he asks, looking over her shoulder as the two demons approach him.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” she fumbles her phone out of her pocket and dials one of the only numbers in it, gasping for air as she listens to it ring. She groans when it goes to voicemail, and waits for the message to end. “Dean, answer your damn phone. We are royally boned, make sure you’re ready. It’s bad, Dean. It’s…it’s bad. I’ll be there soon.”

She hangs up and shoves the phone into her pocket before veering off the main path and into an alley. She can see Avengers Tower on the other side, a beacon of safety, and she sprints faster. Suddenly she’s cut off by a large man, and she slides to a stop, breathing heavily as she stares him down.

_Yep. Royally boned._


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson uses Dean's sister to get more information out of him. Bucky returns, and realize just how much trouble they might be in. The reader sticks with the plan, and the Avengers finally get to meet the King of Hell.

“Enjoying that?”

Dean looks up from the massive bacon cheeseburger he’s holding tightly, “If I could, I would marry it,” he mumbles around a mouthful of burger, and Coulson flinches as a piece of bacon falls from the corner of his mouth and hits the table.

“Do you always eat like…this?”

“Only when I’ve been held for questioning for over twelve hours with no breaks by some power hungry government kiss ass. So…no, not all the time.” He wipes his mouth off with the back of his hand, then sits back in his chair. “I’m not really sure what you mean to gain by this, anyway.”

“I am _trying_ to prove that what was done was done out of necessity! If the story seems strange to me, and I’ve seen some weird stuff, can you imagine what the public feels like? How do we explain it?”

“Why don’t you explain it the same way you explain away other things? How is this any different?”

Coulson tosses a manila envelope across the table and it falls open to reveal a picture of Bucky and Y/N sliding off a rooftop. Dean shuts it quickly, “You can make that go away, you’re just choosing not to.” 

“That, maybe. But this, not so much.” An agent who, until this moment was standing quietly in the corner, steps forward and hands Coulson an iPad. He taps the screen, scrolls a couple of pages, then taps again, handing the device to Dean.

Though it is silent, the black and white video is startlingly clear.

“Who the fuck has surveillance this clear in an alley?” Dean asks, his eyes glued to the images.

“Anything within a ten block radius of Avengers Tower is given priority.”

The video is of Y/N, facing off against a demon at least four times her size. Dean watches as he charges her, and, despite her trying to stand her ground, throws her into the brick wall of one of the buildings. He tries to contain his discomfort, barely narrowing his eyes as she struggles to her feet and manages to land a kick to the guy’s crotch. He falls to the ground, and she manages to jump on to his back, punching and kicking as hard as she can. He throws her off, and she hits the side of a dumpster, then lands on the ground. She doesn’t get up this time, and, just as the demon reaches her, his hand around her throat, Bucky reappears, ripping the guy away from her. He throws him out of frame and kneels down next to Y/N, smoothing her hair from her face as he checks on her. Suddenly, he stiffens, his hand wraps around something on the ground, and the demon appears out of nowhere behind him. Bucky whirls around and stabs upward, and, even in the black and white, Dean can see the flashing light of the demon dying. Coulson pauses it.

“Care to explain that?”

“I wasn’t there, what do you want me to say about it?”

“Well, it looks like Barnes just killed a man in cold blood, so I’d like your take on it.”

Dean’s hands clench, and Coulson stares at his fists, so far resting on the table. “In cold blood? That guy was going to kill my sister.”

“But a super soldier has the advantage, wouldn’t you say? No reason to go that extra step.”

“If you’re wanting me to give up Barnes after he saved my sister’s life, you can fuck right off.”

“What I _want_ is the truth. You and your brother and sister keep telling me about the king of hell, and demons, and all manner of ridiculous things, and I need to know what it is Barnes killed. Because right now, to the world, he just killed a man that he was easily able to overpower.”

“And telling you what happened is just going to get him off the hook? The world will quit looking at him like he’s some sort of monster because _Dean Winchester_ said it should be that way? Yea, okay.”

“To be honest, Dean, I don’t really care what the world thinks. They’ll complain about him for the next few days, maybe a week, and then it’s on to the next thing. But the _government_ …come on, we both know what’s going to happen if you don’t tell me what I need to know. They’re going to put him in cryo, an out of control asset that should have never been set free to start with. And, it won’t matter what I think, or what you think, or what the rest of the team thinks. They will lock him away and there won’t be a damn thing we can do about it, _unless we beat them to the punch_. Do you understand?”

“You speak pretty poorly of the agency that pays your way.”

Coulson stands and walks around the table, then sits on the edge of it next to Dean. Dean leans away from him and clears his throat awkwardly. “Just because they employee me doesn’t mean I agree with everything they do or say.” He shifts the iPad so that Dean can see the screen again and taps the screen with his nail, “This man has lived through hell and still has managed to come through the other side and do good. He wakes up every day, knowing what he was, what he did, and he does his damnedest to make up for it. He saved your sister’s life, and I think he deserves for the truth to come out. So Dean, I’m going to ask you again, who did Barnes kill?”

Dean’s eyes shift to the screen, to the frozen image of Bucky saving his sister, someone he barely knows, then looks back to Coulson. “It’s not so much who as what. That….that was a demon.”

Coulson nods, “What happened after this?”

“We didn’t know what was going on, not until they got back…”

* * *

“They should have been back by now,” Sam paces back and forth, nervously rubbing his thumb along his bottom lip.

“It’s fine, it’s probably just taking Nadine longer to find the things on the list than we thought it would. It’s a big list.”

“Dean, they still should have been back by now.” He looks at his watch, “She should have at least texted or called. She knows how important it is to stay checked in-” he’s interrupted by the ding of the elevator and Dean gestures towards it.

“See? Nothing to worry about.”

“Uhh…I think you might be wrong about that,” Clint interjects as Bucky stumbles into the room, carrying Y/N in his arms.

Dean rushes to his side as he lays her down on the couch, “What the hell happened out there, man? I thought she’d be fine going with you!” He kneels down, taking inventory of her wounds.

Bucky swings her backpack off his shoulder and tosses it to Sam, who nearly drops it, “Demons caught wind of us, found us at Nadine’s. They headed us off when we were on the way to the roof, I had to improvise. They were coming from more than one direction, we had to split up.”

“You left her?” Sam slams the bag on the desk, “You just left her to fend for herself?”

“No, I told her to run. I only saw two of them, I told her I’d catch up and that she needed to head this way. Apparently, there was a third demon.” He wipes blood from his lip and grimaces, “Maybe a fourth.”

“Where are they now? Did they follow you here?”

He shakes his head, “No, I killed them, with your sister’s knife.” He reaches into his jacket and twirls it out of a hidden holster, “This one. I didn’t realize it was different until they…well, they kind of…” He holds it out to Dean, and he takes it.

“Lit up?” Dean looks at the knife, the bone handle comfortable in his hand.

“Yea, lit up.”

“It’s because this is a demon knife, it’s one of the only things that can kill them. She must have swiped it from my bag this morning.” He turns his attention back to Y/N, pushing the hair away from her face. “Hey…Y/N…you in there, kid?” Her eyes roll under their lids, but stay closed. “What happened to her?”

“By the time I got there, the guy had thrown her into the side of a dumpster. Looked like she’d put up a hell of a fight, but it took me longer to lose the other two than I expected. Didn’t realize you couldn’t just kill them. I took care of him, and the other two caught up. Killed them, then took off with her. There’s at least a fourth one, but I lost him in a crowd.”

“If there’s that many chasing you, I guarantee there are more you didn’t see. Sammy, she get everything?”

Sam lays out everything in Y/N’s backpack, looking over the ingredients silently before nodding, “Yep, everything’s here.” He picks up the cardboard tube and shakes it, “This isn’t on the list.”

Bucky reaches out and takes it, “Sorry, that…uh…that’s mine. It’s a poster.”

Steve raises an eyebrow, “Since when do you get posters?”

“It was interesting.” He tucks it into his jacket pocket, then crosses his arms. Steve knows the look on his face and leaves the subject alone.

“What are you guys going on about?” Y/N asks quietly, and Dean grins.

“There’s my girl. What the hell were you thinking, going off on your own like that?”

“I had it under control. Just wanted to give Buck something to do.” She looks over at him and smiles. He winks, ducking his head when Dean glares at him.

“He’s got plenty to do.” He helps her sit up, “Sam, maybe you should do the spell, and I’ll talk to Crowley.”

“No! I am _fine_ , I’ve had worse.”

“Crowley likes me too, it’s not a big deal.”

“You know as well as I do that he likes me more. After that whole Mark of Cain bullshit-”

“Um, excuse me, what ‘Mark of Cain bullshit’?” Bruce looks up from the computer he’s staring at and Dean makes a face, waving his hand in the air.

“Nothing, it was nothing. And why would that matter?”

“I think you know why. No, I’m doing it.” She stands up gingerly, and both Dean and Bucky step towards her. She waves them both off, then carefully walks over to where Sam is organizing the spell’s ingredients.

“Everyone can stay here, but let me do the talking, okay? He’s going to want to pull all of you into this, especially you, Tony.”

“Why me?”

“Oh, you’ll see. How are we trapping him?”

“Tony and Bruce have it covered.” Sam throws the last ingredient into the bowl and gives it a stir. “You ready?”

Y/N shrugs, “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Sam nods, then picks up the knife laying next to the candle lit sigil. “Here we go.” He cuts his hand and holds it over the bowl as he recites, “ _Et ad congregandom, eos coram me_.” He pauses, then repeats the incantation again, “ _Et ad congregandom, eos coram me_.”

There’s a sudden flash, and Crowley is standing in the middle of the room, a glass of whiskey already in his hand. He looks around the rag tag group, surveying those he doesn’t know, and his gaze lands on Y/N. He smiles, then takes a sip from his glass.

“Hello, boys.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Winchesters try to get information out of Crowley, but he's only interested in talking to the reader. He and Tony match wits, and the reader finally puts together what Crowley is doing.

_“Hello, boys.”_

“Crowley.”

His mouth curls up in a smile, his head tilted to the side. “Hello, tulip. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“I’m sure it is.”

“To what do I owe this…summoning? I was in a very important meeting, I hope this is worth the interruption.”

“I imagine it has something to do with your very important meeting.”

Crowley looks around the room, his eyes dancing across the myriad of strangers and he chuckles, “You truly believe I’m just going to tell you about my various business endeavors in front of this rabble? My dear, I like you, but I’m not entirely sure I like you that much.” He crosses the empty space between himself and Y/N, sitting his glass on a coffee table as he passes it. “I have a few options we could discuss…in private.” He stops directly in front of her, and she looks up at him, her eyes narrowed. Bucky’s fists clench and Dean puts a hand out, giving a nearly imperceptible shake of his head.

“You really expect me to just go somewhere alone with you? You’re a funny little man.” 

“You say that as if it is an insult. I remember you quite enjoying how funny I am, though I think we can both agree, I’m not _little_.”

“And I think we both know that the only reason I know you’re not little is because mommy dearest shared your secret of selling your soul for an extra three inches below the belt, so let’s not give anyone any ideas, huh?”

He frowns, “You are making this a lot less fun than I was hoping it would be.” His gaze shifts to Dean, “What’s the real reason you brought me here, Squirrel? I sincerely hope you didn’t think little sister would woo the information out of me, because if that _is_ the case, she has done a piss poor job.”

“Well, I kinda was hoping it would work, but I should have known better. Too much Winchester in her blood for that.”

“We need to know what you know about someone called Thanos.” Sam jumps right to the point, and Crowley raises an eyebrow.

“Thanos? Hmm, pity, that doesn’t ring a bell. I’m afraid you’ve wasted my time yet again. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” he snaps his fingers, but stays in place. He snaps again, and then rolls his eyes upward, groaning quietly when he sees the the devil’s trap on the ceiling. “What the bloody hell is that?”

“Oh, just a little something I cooked up that the boys thought would be a good idea to use on you. Can’t say I blame them, you’re even more slippery than I would have imagined.” Crowley turns to see who the voice belongs to.

“Who is this poorly manicured raccoon?”

Tony’s mouth drops open, “Excuse me? I’m sorry, but the expenses for my facial hair maintenance _alone_ probably costs more than that suit. What is that, off the rack Prada that you got at the outlet? Do you even know what custom fitting means?”

“I’m sorry, do you not recognize high quality, hand sewn, fine Italian men’s wear? Take a closer look, if you’re interested in what actual quality looks like-”

“Alright, boys, that’s enough. I’d tell you to just whip it out and measure already, but seeing as how we’ve spent more time talking about Crowley’s than necessary, can we just move on?” Y/N turns toward Crowley, her arms crossed. “Listen, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t give a shit about what you do, normally. But this isn’t normal. If what Tony and friends have told us is even remotely true, we’re about have a shit storm hit us, and it’s going to affect you, too.”

“I’ll have to check…Thanos, was it?”

“He is a great purple creature, who could crush your skull with just his fist. He is looking for what we call the Infini-”

“Thor, no!” Y/N glares at him and he shrugs.

Crowley’s eyebrows pop up in interest, “What, pray tell, is he looking for? Perhaps I can help after all.”

“Listen, Boris, it doesn’t matter what he’s looking for. What matters is the fate of human existence rests in his stupid, Grimace looking paws, and we think you’re involved.”

“Oh, Dean, always the one with words. You should probably let Moose do most of the talking. He’s more…eloquent. Less brash.”

“What is up with him calling everyone by animal names? Do you only need, what, a tenth grade education to run hell? Am I wrong?” Tony throws his hands out and looks around at the group, waiting for someone to back him up.

“Ah, someone should tell him he’s funny, before he develops some kind of complex.”

“I think Tony is quite humorous, I am sure he would do quite well on Asgard as a jester-”

“Not helping, Fabio.”

“That’s enough. I don’t have time for this. Let me talk to Y/N alone, and _perhaps_ I will have something of use to contribute. Also, a drink? I assume you have nothing but swill, but even rotgut is better than nothing.” Tony frowns but Y/N waves him off.

“I’ll take care of it. Just…just go.” Tony storms out of the room and Bruce follows, giving Crowley a wide berth. Clint, Natasha, and Sam follow close behind, and Steve stares at Crowley for a moment before bringing up the rear.

Bucky pauses in front of Y/N, leaning in close, “Are you sure you’re up to this? I can stay…”

“Thank you, but I’ve done worse. I’ll be alright.” He frowns and she grabs his hand, “I promise. I can’t let you off that easy, we haven’t even had a proper first date.”

He looks at their hands, then back at her and the corner of his mouth turns up. “You’re too stubborn to be wrong. Be careful,” he says as a casts a wary eye at Crowley. “If he makes one off move…”

“Kick him in his demon nards. Got it.”

He chuckles, then quickly walks out of the room.

“That goes for Sasquatch and the little hunter that could. Just you and I, tulip.”

“I don’t fucking think so, asshat. We’re staying right here.”

“Then I suppose our conversation is over. Now, let me out of this bloody electronic foolishness so I can get back to work. Hell doesn’t just run itself.”

“Dean, go.”

“Y/N-”

“Go.”

“Fine,” he shifts his gaze back to Crowley, glaring, “but if you hurt even one hair on her head, the only hand made accessories you’ll have to brag about will be the prosthetics you’ll be wearing after I rip off your limbs and beat you with them.”

“Someone is testy today. Nary a finger will touch her pretty little head, Squirrel. Scout’s honor.”

Dean looks back to Y/N, who nods, and he storms out of the room. Sam lingers, his brows knit in concern, before finally turning and following his brother.

“Are you happy? Everyone is gone. Now talk.”

“How about a drink, first? Maybe a nice scotch. Hell, I’m feeling froggy, make it a scotch on the rocks.”

“Oooo, dangerous,” Y/N says as she rolls her eyes, walking across the room to Tony’s bar.

“Make it the top shelf stuff, darling, none of that house swill.” 

“I don’t think Tony even knows what it means to have anything _not_ top shelf.” She grabs a bottle and a glass, and sits the glass down harder than necessary. “What is your problem? It’s not like you haven’t helped us before, why are you being such an ass about this?”

“Oh, it isn’t about not helping you. It’s about helping myself, and, I must admit, this Thanos does not sound like someone who’s bad side I want to be acquainted with.” He tilts his head as he watches her toss ice carelessly into the glass, “Are you still mad at me about Dallas?”

She uncaps the scotch and angrily pours it, spilling some of it on the bar as Crowley grimaces, “Mad about Dallas? You mean, when I found out who you actually were and that you were using me to get to my brothers? No, I’m still absolutely thrilled about that.”

“But you found them! I think that should be the key takeaway from the experience.”

“My key takeaway was, and still is, that you’re an ass. Do you even have any information about this, or is this just a reason for you to talk to me alone because you know I won’t otherwise?”

“Can it not be a little bit of both?”

“ _Exorcizamus te omnis immundis spiritus-_ ”

Crowley hisses, his eyes narrowed, “You know that won’t work on me, you petulant brat.”

“No, but it hurts like a son of a bitch. What do you know about Thanos?”

“I deal in souls, sweetheart, not in alien currency, whatever the bloody hell that might be. Why do you think I know anything about it?”

She considers him for a moment, unsure of whether it is a good time to show her hand, “What do you know about Central Park?”

“I’ve heard the Conservatory Garden is nice this time of year, but specifically…I don’t know. I assume you have reason for asking?”

“No, I just wanted to talk about it for my health. You don’t know anything about it? Nothing that might be going on there?”

“Well, it certainly sounds like something is going on, but you clearly don’t want me to know what you know. Perhaps you know more than I do. At any rate, I don’t think I can help you. If you would be so kind as to unshackle me from this digital prison, I have business to attend to.”

“You know I can’t just…” she trails off, then circles the bar, his drink forgotten. “I never said that.”

“Never said what?”

“None of us ever said who Thanos was. We never said he was an alien.”

Crowley chuckles, “It was just an assumption, darling. You said the man was _purple_ , I just assumed.”

“That’s an odd assumption to make, considering the creatures we deal with all the time.”

“Yes, well, I’m sorry you feel like that. At any rate, I really must be going, I hope you can forgive me for the interruption.” He looks over Y/N’s shoulder, and she turns to see Happy walking towards her.

“Happy? What are you-”

She’s interrupted as his fist strikes her jaw, knocking her to the ground with a bone rattling thud. He grabs at her, hauling her from the floor by her arm, and she shakes her head, trying to clear the cobwebs.

“Here is the deal, my sweet, you’re going to let me go. If you don’t, I’m going to have the demon using your friend as a meat suit slit his throat before vacating the premises. Happy seems like a rather jolly man, which I assume is how he got his nickname, so may I also assume you would like to keep him alive? I think Stark will be quite upset if you allow his friend to die.”

“You son of a bitch,” she snarls, trying to pull her arm loose and failing.

“I would be offended, but you have met my mother, so I think we both know that’s not far from the truth. Now, let me go, and I’ll let him go free. Otherwise…”

Happy throws her to the floor, then pulls a knife from the inside of his jacket, his eyes flashing black. The blade shines as he holds it to his throat, and Y/N bites back tears as she realizes that she only has one option. She slowly stands, grimacing at the pain in her side from her earlier collision with the dumpster, and grabs the remote from the table where Tony had left it.

“We’re going to figure out what’s going on, Crowley, you know we will.”

He shrugs, “Maybe, maybe not. It is the Winchester destiny to put a stop to all of the evil in the world, but destinies, they change…unlike you. You are always the same, full of anger and guilt. It is what I love most about you, the tortured soul that I would give anything to have in my collection, but, until then…I’ll have to make do.” His eyes flick to Happy and his hand shifts, nicking his throat and drawing a fat, crimson drop.

“Stop! Okay, just…just stop.” She taps the screen on the remote and Crowley steps forward, smiling at his new found freedom.

“Very good, darling.” He nods, and the demon residing in Happy smokes out, and he collapses to the floor. Y/N drops to his side, cradling his head in her lap.

“I’m going to kill you…” she looks up and Crowley is gone.

“What…what happened?”

She looks back down at Happy and sighs, “Thank God, you aren’t dead.”

He struggles to sit up and stares around the room in shock, “How did I end up in here?”

“It’s a long story-”

“Y/N! We heard you yelling, what the hell happened? Where’s Crowley?” Dean rushes in, searching the room for the long vanished demon.

“The building isn’t warded…Happy was possessed. I…I didn’t have a choice.”

“Did you find out anything?”

“He denied working with Thanos, but he slipped up. None of us told him who Thanos was, but he knew he was an alien. He also denied knowing anything about Central Park, but I also didn’t tell him why I was…asking…” Her eyes widen, “Oh, no.”

“What?” Dean asks impatiently.

“I know why he’s working with Thanos. I know what he wants.”

“Well, are you going to share with the class or are you just going to hold that tidbit of information to yourself?”

“He said it himself…he deals in souls. He said that he wanted mine, but since that wasn’t an option, that he’d make do. If Thanos does what he wants, Crowley…Crowley would get the souls.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson pushes the reader a little too hard, and finds out just how much Winchester she has in her. Dean gets into it with his sister, and Bucky steps in. When that ends poorly, Sam goes after the reader in hopes of getting her back.

“You just… let him go?”

Y/N looks up from where her hands are fiddling with an empty straw wrapper. “I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“You don’t know Mr. Hogan that well, if at all. Why did you choose his life over the fate of Earth?”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You’re telling me that if you were about to see someone _slit their own throat_ , you’d be able to just sit idly by and watch? I’m sorry, but in those moments, it’s not really the fate of the world that’s on my mind, okay? I don’t give a shit if you know someone or not. Unbelievable.” She crosses her arms and sits back in her chair, eyes narrowed as she stares at Coulson.

“That’s not necessarily what I meant. We all make spur of the moment decisions-”

“We make spur of the moment decisions _every single day_. Every case we take, every move we make, determines whether someone lives or dies. Sometimes that includes us. So, don’t try to make me feel better by saying you don’t know what decision you’d make in the moment, because I _do_. And, I have to live with that every damn day. Never mind what Sam and Dean have been through. I chose Happy’s life over the fate of the world, because, _for once_ , I had the choice.”

“I didn’t mean to offend, I realize a hunter’s life isn’t as black and white as what ours might be.”

“I’d reevaluate what your life looks like, because _no one’s_ life is black and white. You’re naive if you think otherwise. Maybe stupid, but we’ll go with naive since it sounds less harsh.”

“I’m not sure that that’s entirely fair-”

“It’s absolutely fair, _Special Agent Coulson_ ,” she spits out his name and he flinches at the harshness of it. “You have your super soldiers and your aliens, and your super secret government agencies, and you act like you can just wrap it all up nice and neat in a little bow. It’s bullshit. Sometimes, the good guys are bad, and the bad guys are forced into it. Sometimes, the people that are supposed to save the world are the ones destroying it, and, sometimes, you have to become a monster to defeat them. You have no idea the evil in this world, the things that have to be sacrificed to keep the world safe. You think you’ve seen monsters,” she leans forward, her palms on the table as she moves to her feet, “but you’ve seen _nothing_ compared to what hunters see every day. So, before you get all high and mighty and judge me for putting the needs of one ahead of the needs of the many, you fucking think about how often I’ve done that before and how much I’ve lost because of it.”

Coulson stares at her for a moment, sitting as far back in his chair as he can without obviously moving. He gives a nearly imperceptible shake of his head when one of the agents standing near the door steps forward, as if to push Y/N back into her seat. After a moment, he gestures to her to sit down. “I apologize if it seems I don’t appreciate the gravity of what you do. I absolutely do, and I can imagine the horrors that you’ve seen. Judging by your family’s extensive involvement with local authorities and the FBI, state police, Homeland Security,” he picks up a folder and flips it open, “the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, the DMV in multiple states, the Catholic church, the National Park Service, the Food Safety Inspection Service, the USDA… the list goes on, you have all lived a colorful and storied past.”

“You could say that.”

“None of which is or was legal.”

She shrugs, “Depends on who you talk to.”

He laughs, shaking his head, “The priest and nun impersonations are, at best, misdemeanors. Never mind the rest of it. I don’t think it depends on who you talk to.”

“We saved your life, didn’t we? How many members of law enforcement do you think we’ve saved, protected their towns? It matters who you talk to.”

“We’re jumping ahead. You let Crowley go, what happened next?”

She sighs, folds her arms, and sits down. “The same thing that always happens when a Winchester does something that drastic without consulting with each other.”

* * *

“I thought you said you had this, Y/N!”

“I did have it! I didn’t really have a choice, Dean!”

“You didn’t…” he looks to Sam and gestures wildly at her, “she didn’t have a choice! _We had him_. Normal circumstances, better luck next time, but he’s supposedly in cahoots with some alien whose entire life goal is destroy as much as he can, and you just let him go because he was going to have someone’s throat slit?”

“Dean-”

“No, Sam, don’t come at me for being too hard on her. These aren’t decisions we make on our own. Because, see, when we make a choice, people _can_ _die_. We don’t choose one person over the world.”

“Oh, that’s a bunch of bullshit! How many times have you two chosen each other over the fate of everyone else, huh? How many times have you started an apocalypse because you didn’t have the heart to stop each other? Or is it because I’m not really one of you? I might be part Winchester, but I didn’t grow up on the road with a daddy that treated me like a soldier, so I’m soft? I was the lucky one, still am, because I still have my mom.”

“That’s not what this is about-”

“The hell it’s not. I’m so sick of you two babying me, or acting like I don’t know what I’m doing. I grew up in the life, just like the two of you. Saving Happy was more than just saving _him_. You know as well as I do that if I didn’t do what Crowley said, he would have killed Happy, then come after me, and then there would have been God knows how many demons roaming this building. Hell, who knows how many are here now, and you’re wanting to take the time to lecture me?” She turns to walk out, pausing to look over her shoulder, “Maybe I should go home. You obviously don’t think I’m useful here, and Mom could probably use my help. We’re going to have something more in common sooner rather than later.” She leaves, the room quietly watching her as she turns the corner and disappears.

“That could have gone more smoothly, I think.”  
  
“Shut up, Tony.”

“What did she mean about having something else in common?” Dean asks Sam, who shrugs.

“I don’t know, man.”

“It’s her mom.” The quiet voice surprises them both, and they turn to see Bucky leaning against the wall, his arms crossed as he silently watches the scene.

“What are you talking about?”

“Her mom…she’s sick. Barely remembers her own name, most of the time. It’s getting worse.”

“How the hell do you know about any of that?”

“She told me.”

Dean’s fists clench at his sides and he takes a step towards Bucky, “Why would she tell you about any of that and not us?”

“I think this whole situation is a good example as to why. You need to listen more, not just assume she doesn’t know what she’s doing or that she always needs rescued.”

“You know what? Fuck you, RoboCop. You don’t know the first goddamn thing about our family or what we do.”

“That’s enough!” Both men turn to Sam, who’s shaking his head. “Dean, not that this is really the time, but I think he’s right.”

“Fine, I’ll go talk to her.” Dean turns to leave but Bucky stops him.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Oh, you don’t think it’s a good idea?” Dean chuckles, then looks back at Sam, “He doesn’t think it’s a good idea.” Before anyone can stop him, Dean punches Bucky in the face, catching the ex-assassin off guard and knocking him to the ground. Steve moves to go after Dean, but Tony puts his arm out and shakes his head. Bucky stands up with a groan, a hand to his jaw, but says nothing to the eldest Winchester.

“Dean, that’s enough. He’s right, it’s a bad idea. I’ll go talk to her, just…stay here. Try not to punch another super soldier, huh?”

“Whatever.” Sam gives his brother the look he reserves for the times he really means it, and Dean throws his hands up. “I promise, okay? We’ll try to come up with a way to stop our favorite leprechaun.”

Before Sam can walk away, Bucky stops him.

“Hey, this uh…this might help.” He reaches into his jacket for the poster he’d hidden there before and Sam looks at him, confused. “She’ll be able to explain it better than me.” Sam takes it and gives him a smile.

“Thanks…I think. I’ll be back, hopefully with Y/N.”

Bucky gives him a curt nod, then walks the opposite direction towards his room. Dean sits down and watches Sam disappear in the direction Y/N had gone, then looks at Tony.

“Well, Professor, you got any ideas?” 

* * *

“Hey.”

Y/N looks over her shoulder to see Sam walking towards her, then looks back out the window, “Hey.”

“Listen, I’m sorry if we treat you like a kid.”

“Jumping straight to the point, are we?” Sam sighs but remains silent, and she turns to face him. “I’m sorry, I’m just frustrated.”

“I get it, Dean and I used to go in circles about the same kinds of things. God, the fights we used to get in.”

“Then why are you doing the same thing to me?”

Sam looks down at his hands before continuing, “Because I never knew how Dean felt before.” He looks back up, his brows furrowed, “I worry about Dean, always have, but, I never understood how he felt, being the older brother. It used to make me so angry, and then we met you…and I suddenly got it. Whatever I feel about Dean, double it for you. And multiply whatever I feel by five, and you’ve got Dean. We aren’t doing it because we don’t trust you, or think you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s because we’re terrified of losing you.”

“There are better ways to show your love, you know, rather than make asses of yourselves.”

Sam chuckles, “Yea, but we wouldn’t be Winchesters if we weren’t being asses.” He holds out the rolled up poster, and Y/N gently takes it from him, “Bucky told me to give this to you, said you’d be able to explain it better than he could.”

She slips it out of the tube and carefully unfurls it, holding it out to Sam so he can see it.

“Is that…is that Dad and your mom?”

“Yea…Nadine had it. She gave it to me.”

Sam smiles down at the photo, “They look happy.”

“They do.” Y/N stares at the picture, and both of them are silent for a moment. “It wasn’t Dad’s choice.”

“What?”

“Not staying with us. He wanted to. I heard them arguing one night, he wanted to bring you to live with us. My mom loved Dad, but she was just too nervous. Winchesters don’t really have the best of luck, and she didn’t want to put me in the crosshairs. He wanted us all together.”

“She probably had the right idea.” He hands the picture and tube back to her. “What’s going on with your mom?”

“How did you know?”

“Bucky mentioned it.” She frowns and Sam holds up a hand. “Don’t be mad at him. He’s just worried about you.”

“She’s got Alzheimer’s. It’s gotten worse, and she didn’t want me to watch.” She sniffs, quickly wiping a tear away. “I feel like a terrible person…because I’m relieved she doesn’t want me to see. I ran the first chance I got. And now this.”

“Listen, your mom knows it would be hard on you, and, honestly, it’s hard on someone, knowing their loved one is watching them waste away. Despite the circumstances, I’m glad we’re all together.”

She hugs him. “Thanks, Sam. I’m glad, too.” She closes her eyes as his arms wrap around her, and, for a moment, she basks in what it must feel like to have a normal family. “Together…” she mumbles as she pulls away.

“Huh?”

“We’re trying to do this separately. Clearly, us working with Crowley isn’t going to work. But, we have the _Avengers_ , and we know where the gate is.”

“Yea…”

“We need to quit working against ourselves and with each other. We need to take the fight to them, so I say we’re going to need to go to plan B.”

“I didn’t think we had a plan B.”

“We do now. Come on, we need to talk to everyone. We’re going to Central Park.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan doesn't go over well initially, but soon the Avengers all come aboard. Sam has an idea to create more weapons that would work like the Colt, and Natasha spends some time with the middle Winchester. Dean decides it's time to make everyone demon proof, and when he returns, realizes that one of their group is missing.

The group is silent, the tension palpable as they all consider the conversation that is still hanging heavily over them.

“So you’re suggesting we march into Hell?” Tony breaks the silence, his voice loud in the deafening quiet.

“Not quite _Hell_. A, uh…a devil’s gate.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, a _gate_. That sounds so much better. And Hell would be what is behind this gate, am I correct?”

“….Yes.” 

“Fantastic. Fan-fucking-tastic.” Steve frowns at Tony and he rolls his eyes. “Right, language. Like you don’t say fuck.” He sighs, then looks at the map of Central Park, the red darkening as time passes. “Why aren’t they leaving the gate? I thought you said this place was swarming?”

“It is,” Sam says as he walks over to the map, “with demons that were already topside. The gate isn’t open yet. Once the gate is open, thousands of them will pour out. This gate is easily five times bigger than the one we dealt with. If this gate opens…” He trails off at the thought, his gaze shifting to Dean.

“If this gate opens, Thanos and Crowley both get what they want. Problem is, we know Thanos will double cross Crowley. He’ll wait until he has the army he wants, an army that won’t die, he’ll get the stones, and, then, he’ll destroy everything Crowley thinks he has. There is no happy ending if that gate opens. We can’t let him do it.”

“How do we play a part in this? You’ve already said nothing can kill demons except for the knife.” Steve’s eyes are locked on the map, his brows furrowed as he contemplates what the Winchesters are telling them.

“It’s not the _only_ thing. We have a gun, made by Samuel Colt. It fires specially made bullets, and we just happen to have the spell that creates more. I think we can get a little creative.”

“You think…you _think_? Have you ever used this spell on something other than bullets?” Tony shakes his head, “There is too much left to chance. You’re telling me that you’re just going to wing this?”

Dean shrugs, “That’s kind of how our lives work. We wing things using the knowledge that we already have. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. What we’ve always had on our side is smarts, and combine that with you guys…I think we’ve got a hell of a team.”

“Dean’s right. Our job is never black and white, and, though there are some set rules, generally speaking, we have to work with what we’ve got. We might not have time on our side, but what we do have is our knowledge and your technology. We already spooked Crowley with the Devil’s trap, he has no idea what we’re capable of. I’ve got a couple of ideas that I think will work, and we’ve got just enough time to test the theory. But we need all of you.”

Steve stands up, his arms crossed as he looks at the rest of the Avengers, “You really think your plan is going to work?”

Sam shrugs, “I honestly don’t know. I’m pretty confident, yea.”

Steve looks at Bucky, who nods silently. Steve acknowledges the movement and allows his arms to drop as he looks back at Sam, “We’ve done worse with less knowledge. Whatever you need, let us know.”

“Same here. Clint and I have done some questionable shit. Count me in.”

“Hell, if she’s in, I’m in. I gotta say, this sounds pretty freaking stupid, but then again, most of what we do kind of is, so…count me in.”

“Where Cap goes, I go. I figure you’ll need some wings in this operation, anyway.”

“Asgard is in safe hands for the time being, so I believe I can lend a hand. I am curious to see how this turns out. I am pretty fond of Midgard, after all. You have my hammer.”

“That leaves me and the green guy, I guess.” Tony sighs, shaking his head, “Fine. I’m in. This is incredibly insane, and I can’t see how it’s going to end well, but sure. Into Hell we go. Bruce?”

“I don’t see that I really have a choice in the matter. Let’s do it.”

Dean claps his hands, “Alright, there’s some good news. Sammy, it’s your turn. We’ve got work to do.”

“I’m going to need everyone’s weapons and ammunition. Tony, I also need access to your computer system.”

“Sure thing, Sasquatch.”

“Great, you two nerd out with that. Now, the rest of you…how do you feel about tattoos?” 

* * *

“Do you really think this is going to work?”

Sam looks up to see Clint watching him coat the tips of his silver arrows with the holy oil, sage, and myrrh that Dean had retrieved from the Impala. “Honestly, I don’t know. It works with silver bullets, so in theory, it should work on these arrows. Then again, the bullets work in tandem with the Colt so…”

“So it’s possible that the arrows won’t work because the bow isn’t made the same way as the Colt.”

“Exactly.” Sam lays down the last arrow and wipes his hands off on his jeans. “I guess we’re about to find out.” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, “ _Signum est imitandum. Signum est imitandum_.” The arrow tips glow briefly, and when Sam opens his eyes, he sees the same etchings along their edges. “Well, that part at least worked.” He glances over and his gaze lands on Clint’s bow. “You’re probably not going to like this.”

“Like what?”

“I need to carve something into your bow.”

“Oh, hell no! No one touches my bow.”

“I don’t want to, but it’s going to double our chances that these arrows even work.”

“It’s not just that. You can’t just carve into it, it’s tough as hell. You aren’t going to cut into it like you’re whittling a piece of wood.”

“He won’t have to.” They both turn to see Tony, grimacing as he flexes his arm while he walks towards him.

“What’s wrong with your arm?”

“Same thing that’s going to be wrong with yours. Head to the upstairs conference room, you’ve got some ink to get.”

“You’ve got a tattoo parlor in here?” Sam looks at Tony, mildly impressed.

“I called some people. It’s under the table, but I’m not really supposed to have an unlicensed tattoo parlor in an office building, so let’s keep it on the DL, huh?”

“Why are we getting ink?”

“Anti-possession tattoos. If we’re going to be fighting demons, we need to make sure we’re all clean. Trust me, being possessed is no fun.” Sam looks up from Clint’s bow and at Tony, “Why won’t I have to carve it?”

“I can use a laser to etch whatever you want into their weapons, it’s easier and faster. The only thing you’ll have issue with is Cap’s shield. Vibranium is the strongest metal on the planet, and I don’t have the power to even scratch it.”

“We could ask T’Challa,” Nat suggests as she crosses the room and sits next to Sam.

Tony shakes his head, “He’s got enough to worry about right now. I don’t want to involve Wakanda until we absolutely have to.”

“Tony, I think this might be that moment,” Natasha raises an eyebrow, “I can’t really think of a better…or worse…one.”

“I’ll think about it. In the meantime, we’ll come up with something for Cap.” Tony stares at Nat for a moment, and then smirks, “Where’s your ink?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“That was the answer I was expecting. Hand me that bow, would ya? And, show me what you want carved into it.”

Sam finishes up the sketch he was working on and hands it to Tony, “It needs to say that exactly, and that symbol has to be accurate, too, or it won’t work.”

“What does _non timebo mala_ mean?”

“I will fear no evil.”

Tony scoffs, “Maybe _you_ won’t. Alright, let me see what I can do.” He walks off, leaving Sam and Nat alone.

“So, you’ve been doing this since you were a kid?”

Sam nods, “Yea, pretty much. I went to college for awhile, but some things happened, and I came back. This life doesn’t really let you go that easily.”

“I understand that.” She falls silent, her eyes on her hands. “Children should never have to be soldiers, regardless of what war you’re fighting.”

“No, they shouldn’t.” Sam looks at Nat, her head down, and realizes they’re more alike than he would have thought. “Luckily, some of us turn out okay, despite what we’ve seen, or done.”

She looks up at him and smiles, “Not everyone gets to save the world, huh?”

He shakes his head, “Nope.” He can’t help but notice how green her eyes are in this light, a shifting shade of emerald that contrasts brilliantly against her red hair. He clears his throat, “I can work on your gun, now. This probably sounds like a dumb question, but do you happen to use silver bullets?”

She laughs, “No, not quite that fancy.”

He smiles in return, “I figured. I can take care of that, we’ve got some stuff in the trunk. If you could get everyone else as they come back so we can have everything lined up, I would appreciate it. I’ll be right back.”

“Sure thing, Sammy.”

Sam opens his mouth to correct her, then shakes his head instead. He turns to walk away and then looks back over his shoulder, “Where _is_ that tattoo, anyway?”

Nat grins, “Maybe you’ll find out when this is all said and done.” She winks, and watches as Sam chuckles and walks out of the room. 

* * *

Dean walks into lounge to find Nat sitting alone. “Where’s Sam?”

“He said he was going to the car to get some stuff to make bullets.”

“How long ago was that?”

“I don’t know…twenty minutes or so. Why?”

“I have the keys, he couldn’t have gotten it. He’s not been back?”

She shakes her head, “No, everyone’s been in the upstairs conference room. I’ve been on my own.”

“Shit.” He fumbles his phone from his pocket and hits speed dial, frowning as the phone rings and rings. He hangs up and jams the phone back in his jeans. “He’s not answering.”

“What’s wrong?” Tony appears, Clint’s bow in hand.

“Sam’s gone.”

“What do you mean, ‘He’s gone’? I just left him here.” He lays the bow down. “How can he be gone?”

“He went to get stuff to make bullets and now he’s not answering his phone.”

“I’m going to go look for him. You guys stay here in case he comes back. I’ll check the Impala, maybe I did leave it unlocked.” Dean leaves before anyone can respond, skipping the elevator and taking the stairs down to the parking garage. “Sammy!” he calls out, his voice echoing through the mostly empty space. “Where the hell did you go?” He slows to a stop at the Impala and sighs; there is no sign that Sam has been here. He pulls his phone out and calls him again, jumping slightly when he hears it ringing nearby. He follows the sound, walking around the Impala and kneeling down by the front bumper. Sam’s phone is vibrating loudly against the concrete, Dean’s face and number flashing dully behind the shattered screen. Dean hangs up his phone and picks up Sam’s, looking around.

“Sam, what the hell happened?”


End file.
